El Shaddai, INC swell EDSA crowd

Members of the El Shaddai Catholic charismatic group and the Iglesia ni Cristo (INC) swelled the number of people who gathered at the EDSA Shrine yesterday in the hope of restoring jailed ousted President Joseph Estrada to power.

"Poor people power" was how organizers called the protest rally of Estrada loyalists who started gathering at the Catholic shrine after Estrada yielded to authorities on Wednesday when he was issued an arrest warrant by the Sandiganbayan for the capital offense of plunder.

Aside from encouraging their members to join the protest rally, INC-owned television and radio stations also lambasted the Arroyo administration and media personalities who were perceived to have supported Estrada’s prosecution.

The loyalists were bussed in by Estrada’s political allies from the cities of Caloocan and Valenzuela and the towns of Malabon and Navotas as well as nearby provinces.

Police sources from northern Metro Manila confirmed that at least 50 airconditioned buses repeatedly picked up loyalists from populous and low-income barangays.

The Palace stressed a policy of "ultra-maximum" tolerance and refused to issue any order to disperse the crowd.

Presidential Spokesman Rigoberto Tiglao said President Arroyo was monitoring the situation and stressed the loyalists’ civil liberties but expressed concern at the vandalism of private property.

"Our policy is, it is their democratic right to demonstrate. We are just concerned there are reports of vandalism and graffiti on the EDSA Shrine," Tiglao said.

"In the broader view, it is business as usual in all parts of the country. In a few days, we will see what a small blip those demonstrations are," he added.

But re-electionist Sen. Miriam Santiago said the loyalist rally would continue until Mrs. Arroyo steps down to give way to Estrada.

"Sooner or later, military support will come, especially from those holding lower positions. International recognition is forthcoming," Santiago said.

"This is just a numbers game," the senator said. "If we can get enough numbers to convince the administration that it is in their best interest to step down voluntarily, then President Estrada will be restored to the presidency."

She also blamed the Supreme Court for legitimizing the Arroyo administration after Estrada was ousted by a military-backed civilian uprising in January.

"The Supreme Court ruling (on Mrs. Arroyo legitimacy) will have to apply. What is sauce for the goose is sauce for the gander," she added.

"We are conducting a peaceful rally here so there’s no need for us to be dispersed," Santiago said, adding the loyalists should wear their "bikinis" in anticipation of a police dispersal via water cannon.

Former national police chief and senatorial candidate Panfilo Lacson also urged the public to troop to the EDSA Shrine and support the growing outrage against the Arroyo administration "which has done nothing to uplift the lives of the masses."

"We are calling all our countrymen to go to EDSA to condemn this administration which is pre-occupied in politicking, demolish the opposition and make their candidate win in the election," Lacson said.

At the same time, Lacson called on the police to stay neutral and not to obey orders for them to disperse the crowd massing around the Edsa Shrine.

Former press secretary and senatorial candidate Ricardo Puno also criticized media for not giving ample coverage to the loyalist rally like that given to Estrada’s impeachment trial.

"We expect full and fair coverage, not biased, opinionated coverage," Puno said, stressing that only Channel 25 and radio station dzEC gave full coverage of the protest.

Veteran newsmen, especially female broadcast journalists, admitted staying away from the rally because of the loyalists "tended" to be abusive to mediamen who they perceive to be against their idol.

On Wednesday, loyalists threw plastic bottles at Christine Ong of GMA-7 while her co-worker Arnold Clavio was punched and kicked. Connie Sison of ABS-CBN was also cursed, pushed and mashed by Estrada loyalists.

The telephone number, cell phone number and pager number of GMA-7 news reader Mike Enriquez were broadcast over Channel 25 and dzEC.

Some loyalists also tried to overturn the OB van of ABS-CBN and pelted the television crew with stones when they walked away from the crowd.

At the EDSA Shrine itself, parish priest Monsignor Socrates Villegas also reminded the loyalists that the shrine was declared a holy ground and lamented what he called the desecration of the church.

Socrates appealed to the loyalists to exercise restraint and stop cursing and singing lewd songs against anyone while they are at the shrine.

Security guards of the shrine were powerless when the loyalists climbed the base of the Virgin Mary’s bronze statue, causing a part of the fiber glass roofing to collapse.

"We tried to prevent them from going up there because it’s dangerous but they got angry with us. We could not do anything. They might beat us," said one of the security guards.

Nor could the guards do anything about Estrada loyalists who urinated on the outside walls of the chapel and threw garbage at the marker declaring the area as holy ground.

The police, led by Chief Superintendent George Aliño, had wanted to disperse the crowd before dawn yesterday to prevent a traffic tangle but senators threatened the policemen.

"I assure you that I’ll be back in the Senate and I will do my best to block the budget of the PNP and the confirmation of (Interior Secretary Jose) Lina," said re-electionist Senator Juan Ponce Enrile. – With Marvyn Sy, Efren Danao, Jerry Botial