Cops bracing for SONA protests

The police will be placed on heightened alert in preparation for street demonstrations as four big militant groups are expected to launch massive protests during the State of the Nation Address of President Gloria Arroyo tomorrow.

This early, S/Supt. Carmelo Valmoria, chief of the operations and plans division of Police Regional Office-7, reminded different police units of the traditional occurrence of large rallies and demonstrations by militant groups.

This as some 5,000 members of Bayan Muna, Bisig, Sanlakas and Kilusan para sa Pambansang Demokrasya, which compose the newly-formed Koalisyon Alang sa Katilingbanong Kausaban or "KKK" are expected to gather in Colon St. to air their demands to the government, particularly the resignation of Arroyo.

Bayan provincial chairman Jaime Paglinawan said that KKK was formed to call for social change and true reform in the government. The movement will also be launched on Monday.

KKK will start gathering in Fuente Osmeña circle at 1 p.m. and march towards Gaisano Metro in Colon where the big rally will take place. They will be demanding to stop the killings of members of progressive organizations and other extra-judicial killings and militarization.

Paglinawan said that since Arroyo assumed the presidency in 2001, some 700 persons, mostly members of progressive organizations, were already killed. The scenario under the Arroyo regime is worse than during the Marcos Regime when Martial Law was declared, he claimed.

He explained that members of cause-oriented and militant groups, especially Bayan, have become the favorite targets of the alleged military and police because they are critical of the Arroyo administration.

Workers, who rejected the recent P10 to P18 adjustment in the wages of minimum wage earners in the region, will be calling for the immediate approval of the P125-across-the-board legislated wage increase and other benefits for the workers.

In the morning, Bayan and its allied groups will also hold rallies in four locations -infront of provincial Capitol, Cebu City Hall, Department of Labor and Employment and Fuente Osmeña.

Dubbed as the "people's protest," farmers and fishermen will gather infront of the capitol, drivers and vendors in city hall, workers in DOLE and youths and students in Fuente Osmeña, to air their respective demands to the concerned government offices.

Valmoria revealed that in Central Visayas, militant groups are reportedly planning to stage protests in various cities on or before the SONA to demand Arroyo's ouster.

Valmoria also said that terrorists and other threat groups and criminal elements may also take advantage, to gain media exposure or to harm and endanger the public.

Traditionally, rallies and demonstrations are concentrated in Cebu City, but Cebu Police Provincial Office director, S/Supt. Vicente Loot, has also ordered towns and component cities policemen to institute security measures during the SONA.

Supt. Mariano Natuel of the Cebu City Police Office who was the past ground commander during mass rallies in the city said yesterday that he have not yet received any directive from Supt. Melvin Gayotin on the plans regarding for tommorow's action.

But he added that he has one platoon of Crowd Dispersal Management team at his disposal and is ready anytime tomorrow morning, the CDM team will be assembled as early as 8 a.m. in CCPO ready for deployment if a group of militants are converging.

Natuel is also expecting some augmentation from the Regional Mobile Group to beef-up the crowd control team, including fire trucks from the Bureau of Fire Protection that will be deployed in strategic areas in the city.

Before Arroyo's SONA, the Third Regular Session of the 13th Congress will officially start at 10 a.m. where both Houses will meet at the House of the Representatives Session Hall. Prominent people, VIPs and members of the Diplomatic Corps are expected to attend the session. - Gregg M. Rubio, Wenna A. Berondo and Edwin Ian Melecio