All set for Black Friday rally vs Marcos burial
Opponents of Ferdinand Marcos’ burial at the heroes’ cemetery are calling on the public to join tomorrow’s Black Friday rally in Manila’s Rizal Park starting at 4 p.m., coinciding with the arrival of President Duterte from Peru.
The rally is part of the continuing protests against the dictator’s surprise burial last Friday at the Libingan ng mga Bayani.
Duterte supporters claim the rally is part of a plot by groups identified with the Aquino administration to oust the President, which they said would not succeed.
At least 300 personnel of the Philippine National Police Civil Disturbance Management ( CDM) will be deployed at the Quirino Grandstand for the rally.
Manila Mayor Joseph Estrada allowed the rally and ordered police to observe maximum tolerance, saying it is the constitutional right of all Filipinos to assemble and express grievances.
But he said it is also his duty to protect the safety and interests of everyone – whether they are pro- or anti-Marcos or just plain observers.
“We will allow the protest actions provided the rallyists will not resort to violence or destruction of properties. Also, they should not cause inconvenience to other people, particularly motorists and commuters,” Estrada said after a security briefing with Manila Police District director Senior Supt. Joel Coronel.
Estrada ordered Coronel to see to it that no violent encounter occurs between the rallyists and the police.
“At present, we’re still on full alert, we still have CDM deployment at the Supreme Court, a hundred personnel, until such time this issue of Marcos burial is resolved,” Coronel said.
Meanwhile, Lingayen-Dagupan Archbishop Socrates Villegas appealed to the Marcos family “not to use the remains of the dead for their personal aspiration and ambition.”
Villegas told a crowd of about 1,000 Church leaders and parishioners of Pangasinan in a rally yesterday at the parking area of St. John the Evangelist Cathedral in Dagupan City that Marcos, in his state, does not need memorial rites.
‘Yellow army’
Lawmakers vowed yesterday that the so-called yellow army allegedly allied with the Aquino administration would not succeed in an alleged plot to oust Duterte over Marcos’ burial.
“They will not succeed. The President still enjoys support from a great majority of the Filipino people,” House Deputy Speaker Raneo Abu said, reacting to persistent reports that the antiMarcos groups will use the Marcos burial issue to oust Duterte.
“When these people filed the petition with the Supreme Court (challenging) the legality of the burial, the President told them that he would follow whatever the decision of the SC as the interpreter of the law,” said Abu, the representative of Batangas.
“The SC decided that there’s no reason to prohibit the burial. So what is the reason why they will oust PRRD when he only followed what is the rule of the law?” Abu asked, referring to Duterte.
House Minority Leader Danilo Suarez of Quezon believes the protest rally slated tomorrow will not spread and result in the toppling of the government.
“The President continues to enjoy widespread and overwhelming support from the people and he is doing his very best to address the problems of the country, especially the illegal drug trade,” he said.
“Attempts to oust him are just a figment of their imagination,” said Suarez, adding that the people will not support any ouster attempt from any group that would create chaos in the country.
House Deputy Speaker Fredenil Castro said neither the Marcos family nor officials of the Duterte administration have committed any wrongdoing when the remains of the late president were buried at the heroes’ cemetery last week.
“The Marcoses violated no law. To begin with, there is no more TRO. The SC has already lifted the status quo ante order. This simply means the burying of former president Marcos’ remains can now proceed,” he said.
Deputy Speaker Eric Singson from Ilocos Sur said attempts by the anti-Marcos groups to have the body of the late strongman exhumed as there is still no final ruling from the judiciary, which can be a basis to cite the Marcoses in contempt, leave a bad taste in the mouth.
“It’s something that is sacred to us. That is very hard for the family to accept. Filipinos don’t like this kind of thing. The debate will not end there, precisely because this issue is political. It will divide the nation further. Besides, the SC has decided,” Singson said.
The left-leaning group Bayan is among the groups spearheading tomorrow’s protest, calling on the public to join the rally.
Diwa party-list group Rep. Emmeline Aglipay-Villar believes that the left-wing Cabinet members of President Duterte will not be bolting from his administration simply because the body of Marcos was buried at the heroes’ cemetery.
“I don’t believe that the allies of President Duterte from the left will be leaving the Cabinet. Marcos’ burial has nothing to do with their mandate as members of the Cabinet. All of these guys are intelligent,” Castro said.
The militant Bagong Alyansang Makabayan has called on the public to join the protest.