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Arroyo foes rally 30,000 protesters in Manila
(John O'Callaghan, Reuters, 13 July 2005)
Philippine opposition groups staged their biggest protest yet on Wednesday against President Gloria Macapagal, with analysts saying she may be threatened if her foes can stay united and beef up the size of rallies. . . . Police said the crowd in Manila's financial district peaked at about 30,000. The rally featured film stars, thumping music and chants for Arroyo to quit over allegations of vote-rigging in last year's election and graft by members of her family. . . . The protest by various groups was a big step up from recent rallies but still far from the hundreds of thousands who took to the streets to overthrow Ferdinand Marcos as dictator in 1986 and Joseph Estrada as president in 2001. . . . "The opposition appears to have regained its strength and increased the level of threat," said political analyst Earl Parreno. "The question is whether the opposition can sustain it." . . . A police intelligence officer said anti-Arroyo forces had a war-chest of 25 million pesos ($450,000) for protests due to run until Sunday. . . . The military and police were on maximum alert. Opposition groups complained that police had blocked caravans of supporters coming from the provinces. . . . The month-old crisis has kept financial markets nervous and raised fears that a protracted political battle would paralyze Arroyo's reforms aimed at raising revenues and cutting debt.

posted by LoZo 6:17 AM