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| Southeast Asia | |
| Tight security for Arroyo speech | |
| 2004-07-26 | |
| Security is tight in the Philippines as recently re-elected President Gloria Arroyo prepares to deliver the annual state-of-the-nation address. Police in Manila said they were expecting 20,000 people to join demonstrations. They said 6,000 officers backed by the military would guard Congress. Mrs Arroyo's main rival in presidential elections last May, Fernando Poe, has demanded a recount, and his supporters have threatened street protests. The Philippines' participation in the war in Iraq and government policies have angered anti-war and anti-globalisation campaigners. Army chiefs have also warned that Islamist rebels in the country's south remain a threat despite government attempts to quash them. "Let us all be calm and have a successful [state of the nation address]," Metropolitan Manila police director Ricardo De Leon said on local radio. "We're there to protect everybody. We guarantee we will respect your rights, but as law enforcers we will prevent any forms of abuse." Commentators say that in her speech Mrs Arroyo may play on her recent decision to pull troops out of Iraq early in response to a hostage crisis to illustrate a "Filipino First" theme. But they caution that she must balance that with the need to restore strained relations with the US - provider of large amounts of military aid.
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| Posted by:Fred |
| #8 Arroyo still doesn't 'get' it. She said in her ' State of the [philippine] Nation' address that she sees no problem with withdrawing early to save one life against staying and showing that she will not be 'pushed around' by terrorists: "When I opted to save Angelo de la Cruz, I was reflecting whether one life should be sacrificed for no pressing reason or saved by accelerating an ongoing pullout,â Mrs. Arroyo said. âThe difference of a few weeks for a pullout already decided on could not justify the sacrifice of a human life,â she added. The President pointed out that sacrificing de la Cruz would have been a âpointless provocation,â especially since it would endanger the lives of more than 500,000 Filipinos working in the Middle East. She also calls for budget reform, higher taxes, and a change in the consitution to go to a paramentary or federal government. No mention of one of the major problems the Philippines face: Intrenched Government Corruption at all levels. |
| Posted by: CrazyFool 2004-07-26 6:49:59 PM |
| #7 Besides the early withdrawl they also paid 6 million dollars ransom. That should make a lot of Filipinos very tempting targets. |
| Posted by: Michael 2004-07-26 11:40:13 AM |
| #6 On second thought, this move may have pissed off the military in a very different way. I doubt any of the Philippine soldiers taken hostage while fighting the MILF or Abu Sayaf ever got ransomed off. Military personnel tend to resent being treated as disposable assets. |
| Posted by: Zenster 2004-07-26 3:55:59 AM |
| #5 Really good points, TS(vg). Despite how the military has been pretty squirrely over the last year, the OFW issue is much stronger, only with Saudi Arabia at its core. The domestic terror groups will be emboldened by this craven act and only cause even more civilian deaths. All of this will land exactly where it should, squarely in Arroyo's lap. |
| Posted by: Zenster 2004-07-26 3:50:21 AM |
| #4 Oh yeah, the military has had it with her! The hostage situation may be the straw. I also tend to think most of the citizens won't take kindly to being sold out to Islamists. When they start thinking about all the OFW's that she has let rot in Islamic countries, who were(and are being) abused, raped, and driven to suicide, and now she plays it as if she is the champion for OFW's, the anger will build. It's already started. People will start asking why weren't you there for my daughter, or my mother or my father who was sent back from Saudi Arabia in a cardboard box?! |
| Posted by: TS(vice girl) 2004-07-26 3:12:03 AM |
| #3 #1 What the hell does she have to worry about? There might be a few folks in the military who are pretty hacked off right now. At least, I hope so. This is a |
| Posted by: Zenster 2004-07-26 2:36:56 AM |
| #2 Poor Gloria. She can't even hear the train that's gonna hit her little bandwagon... |
| Posted by: mojo 2004-07-26 1:29:40 AM |
| #1 What the hell does she have to worry about? The terrorists must love her now. |
| Posted by: Capt America 2004-07-26 1:15:02 AM |