1st Anniversary of People Power II Passes Without Incident
Mendiola Rally Celebrates Estrada’s Ouster, Condemns Arroyo’s Policies
By Alfred A. Araya Jr., Copyright © CyberDyaryo

THE FIRST anniversary of People Power II last January 20 went by smoothly, as rumored destabilization moves against the administration of President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo, which grabbed the news headlines a few weeks earlier, did not materialize.

In order to ensure that the anniversary of its first year in office would not be its last, the Arroyo government did not take any chances with regard to security measures, as proven by the overwhelming visibility of police—clad in full anti-riot gear—and military in strategic areas in Metro Manila, most notably at the Edsa Shrine.

Since January 16, police forces had been deployed to prevent the shrine from being occupied by either the broad coalition of groups that called for the ouster of Estrada or groups loyal to the former President.

Security was especially beefed up at Malacanañg Palace, as the number of security personnel guarding the Palace more or less equalled the number of protesters, estimated at some 3,000, who re-enacted their historic march to Mendiola a year earlier. The January 20, 2001 pre-dawn march was crucial in forcing former President Joseph Estrada’s departure from Malacañang, and ushering in Arroyo’s oathtaking as President at the Edsa Shrine.

Earlier in the day, the President, together with her family and Cabinet, had attended a mass officiated by Manila Archbishop Jaime Cardinal Sin at the Edsa Shrine, which the protestors in Mendiola called "Edsa (military) camp" because of the presence of military personnel in the area.

In a combined commemoration of the first-year anniversary of Estrada’s ouster from office, and a condemnation of the current administration’s policies, militant organizations affiliated with the Estrada Resign Movement, held a five-hour protest action near the Don Chino Roces bridge (formerly Mendiola), a few blocks away from Malacañang.

At noon, groups who a year earlier had carried banners calling for Estrada’s ouster now carried banners and posters protesting Arroyo’s "betrayal" of Edsa People Power II. The protesters even came up with a new chant, "Gloria, Gloria, taksil ka sa Edsa (you have betrayed [the spirit of] Edsa)!"

Reunion atmosphere prevails

Amid the heated rhetoric aimed at Arroyo by speaker after speaker from the Bagong Alyansang Makabayan (Bayan) and its affiliates, the atmosphere around the rally site was, nonetheless, reminiscent of a reunion of old friends and comrades, reliving the historic moment their efforts had help to bring about exactly a year ago.

A few rallyists had dug-up their old shirts bearing the word "Resign," while many sported new black shirts, apparently made for the occasion, saying "I was in Edsa (front side)…and Mendiola (back side)."

Many of those interviewed by CyberDyaryo took pride in their participation in the January 20 "people power march" to Mendiola.

University of the Philippines (Diliman) student Leni Valerian said the 2002 budget approved by Arroyo does not make education a priority in relation to the big slices set aside for debt servicing and the perks given to the military. Ironically, she said, these same issues were the same issues they raised during the time of Estrada, and his failure to deliver provided part of the motivation for them to work for his ouster.

In another interview, Jose Tausa, a member of the human rights groups Selda, said that the Arroyo administration seems to be the only one reaping the benefits of Edsa II. "Ikaw nagsaing, iba ang kumakain (You cooked the food, but someone else is eating it)," he said.

They stressed that if they had followed the order of Cardinal Jaime Sin, stayed at the Edsa Shrine, and not trooped to Mendiola, Estrada probably would not have stepped down that day.

Disenchantment with Arroyo

The speakers who went to the flatbed truck that served as their stage expressed their disenchantment with the first-year performance of Arroyo.

The President especially failed on two aspects, Bayan Muna Representative Satur Ocampo told reporters. One is based on "justice," which is the prosecution of the former President and his cronies, and two, "a change in the government and economic systems."

"On both counts, may failure," he said, adding that Arroyo has simply adopted the policies of her predecessors that have been proven "ineffective," and has continuously made compromises with Estrada forces.

Carmen "Ka Mameng" Deunida, leader of the urban poor group Kadamay, who was also present in the Mendiola march last year, called Arroyo ingrata (ingrate), and characterized her as walang utang na loob (having no sense of obligation). She said that the President should fulfill the promises she made to provide jobs and homes, because had it not been for the groups gathered at Mendiola that day, Arroyo would not have become President.

In addition to the tirades against the Arroyo government that Bayan and its affiliates have been raising since her coming to power last year, such as the government’s failure to provide employment, shelter, and its inability to effect change, the protestors also decried the recent decision of the President to allow US troops in Mindanao "in the guise of military exercises".

In a statement, Bayan secretary-general Teddy Casiño said the entry of US forces in the country "may be the last straw to break the camel’s back." He added, "If GMA insists on being Washington’s little drummer girl in Asia, she better watch out."

Other groups that carried similar warnings were the farmers’ group Kilusang Magbubukid ng Pilipinas, fisherfolk Pambansang Likas ng Kilusang Mamamalakaya ng Pilipinas (Pamalakaya), College Editors Guild of the Philippines (CEGP), Anakbayan, and Promotion of Church People’s Response (PCPR), among others.

Bayan spokesperson Renato Reyes Jr. told CyberDyaryo that they would be preparing activities in this regard starting this week to drum up protest against what he called a "violation" of the Constitution, specifically on the aspect of compromised sovereignty.

He said this particular issue could yet be the start of another broad campaign and could trigger a "possibility" that Arroyo "may not last till 2004."

Meanwhile, two armored tanks plus scores of anti-riot police fortified the Veterans Memorial Medical Center, where Estrada and son, former San Juan mayor Jinggoy, are being held, as loyalists of the former President led by the People’s Movement Against Poverty staged a rally in front of the hospital’s main gate in the afternoon. The rally took place without incident.

-CyberDyaryo, 22 January 2002

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