Militants gear up for ASEAN

While the government is busy preparing for the ASEAN Summit here in December, militant groups are also occupied with their own activities for the coming event.

Yesterday, members of Panaghiusa sa Gagmayng Mananagat sa Sugbo swam the waters from South Road Properties to the Malacañang sa Sugbu in a protest called "Swim Against US Intervention in the ASEAN - Keep Off Philippines Fisheries."

However, protesters claimed they were harassed because several meters away from their target destination, they were blocked by the rubber boats of the Philippine Navy.

Despite that, Vince Cinches, lead convenor of the Defend our Seas Coalition said that their protest turned out to be very peaceful.

"We have conducted a very peaceful orderly protest. This is proof that we are not here to disturb but to bring out the issue we want to relay to the concerned agencies," he added.

Likewise, he commended Cebu City Mayor Tomas Osmeña for his democratic approach in dealing with militant groups.

Meanwhile, Laban ng Masa, a coalition of different cause-oriented groups yesterday called for a press conference to condemn military deployment in Metro Cebu barangays and ask Osmeña to pull them out.

Laban ng Masa has also lined up series of activities called "People's Week of International Actions Challenging the ASEAN" in time for the ASEAN Summit, which is scheduled from December 11 to 14.

Freedom from Debt Coalition secretary general and Laban ng Masa spokesman Lito Vasquez said that in the guise of conducting surveys, military elements are going around the communities, brandishing long firearms, conducting house-to-house visits telling people not to join rallies.

Governor Gwendolyn Garcia said that as the chairman of the Regional Peace and Order Council, she expects "all of our police, military and other units involved with the maintenance of peace and order to do their job. Kung maggubot-gubot sila we will see to it that peace and order will be maintained here."

Garcia said that most of the issues that are raised by the protesters like poverty, US intervention, human rights, among others may be among the issues that would be discussed and given solution during the summit.

"You cannot find the answers by shouting and fighting and screaming to your heart's content in the streets," she said.

Further, the governor added that she came from Naning, China, which hosted the China Plus ASEAN Summit.

"Lo and behold, in that communist country, which by the way di ba parehos sila og ideology aning mga nagsinggit dire, didto walay gi-allow sa pagsinggit, rally og barikada. It's ironic as they insist upon their rights over here because they want to promote a particular ideology that is now being practiced in China, I do not see their counterparts over there doing exactly what it is that they are doing over here," Garcia stressed.

During the ASEAN Summit, different militant groups are planning to hold protest actions to raise their concerns to the Philippine government and even international communities. - Wenna A. Berondo and Cristina C. Birondo