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Despite President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo's assertion that the Filipino people are fed up with People Power as a means to effect change in leadership and governance, and that the world would condemn another popular uprising, the call for regime change is fast sweeping across the country once more.
Last week university students on various campuses in Metro Manila and other key cities and urban centers all over the country walked out of their classes, staged noise barrages and mass demonstrations to call for the immediate and unconditional resignation of Arroyo.
Exercising "divine intervention," key Catholic Church leaders, religious superiors and lay workers kicked off a series of communal actions intended to ferret out the truth about the corruption allegedly perpetrated by the Arroyo government, the latest of which is the controversial US$329 million National Broadband Network deal.
Other sectors such as the business community represented by the Manila Business Club, as well as Filipino professionals and academic personnel, echoed the prevailing national sentiment that the Arroyo regime should leave the seat of power as early as possible.
Abroad, Filipino migrant workers in Hong Kong, the Middle East, the United States, Canada and Europe made similar calls for Arroyo to step down and allow a transition government to work to correct the current government's anti-people policies and prepare for the next elections within six months after the removal of the president.
In a solid display of emerging People Power against Arroyo, numerous protests were conducted to commemorate the victorious Edsa 1 Revolution and to reaffirm the spirit and legacy of the popular uprising that forced the political downfall of the Marcos dictatorship more than two decades ago.
The Feb. 25 demonstrations calling for another People Power movement, this time against the Arroyo presidency, were like political earthquakes that shocked and rocked the Manila government. In Manila, some 6,000 anti-Arroyo protests led by the leftist political alliance Bagong Alyansang Makabayan reclaimed the historic Mendiola Bridge and warned the Arroyo presidency of the brewing People Power.
Bayan, the most consolidated and comprehensive anti-Arroyo political force in the Philippines, also spearheaded anti-Arroyo protests in different parts of the country.
In a vain attempt to cushion the impact of snowballing people's action calling for her resignation, Arroyo and her allies in the executive and legislative branches of government went on a "national roadshow" by orchestrating pro-government rallies paid for with taxpayers' money.
In Liwasang Bonifacio, some 100 lawmakers allied with Arroyo sponsored a pro-Arroyo rally allegedly attended by close to 5,000 "supporters" of the embattled Chief Executive.
According to Christine Avendaño, a reporter for the Philippine Daily Inquirer who covered the pro-Arroyo rally, the government distributed cash cards and grocery bags, and made promises of a mass transport system and new school buildings, among other things, to those who attended the afternoon rally.
There was also a report that the palace handed out 200 to 250 pesos (US$5-$6) per person to those who went to the Arroyo-orchestrated rally in Manila. As expected, political foes of Arroyo condemned the "little payoffs," asserting that the president had once again used millions of pesos of taxpayers' money to further her own political interest.
Another source said the government gave 1 million pesos (US$24,700) to each government agency to mobilize people for the pro-Arroyo rally, a clear indication that the government would mobilize all resources at its disposal to turn the tables and switch public opinion to the Arroyo side.
The political paranoia shown by the president against the snowballing nationwide political unrest indicates that Arroyo is afraid she could be the third victim of People Power next to Marcos and former President Joseph Estrada.
It is also an admission that the Arroyo presidency acknowledges that People Power is not dead. It is very much alive and it is in the offing to put an end to the morally bankrupt government.
On Friday an interfaith rally is to be staged in the capital's central financial district, with participants from different religions across the country, supported by various political forces. Organizers expect tens of thousands of Filipinos to attend the biggest Mass for Truth since the ZTE broadband scandal came to public attention.
The organizers insist the rally is not a numbers game. But some political experts say that if participants reach 100,000 or more, anti-Arroyo generals and officers, rank-and-file members of the armed forces and the Philippine National Police might declare a wholesale withdrawal of support from the Arroyo presidency.
The unfolding political events in the Philippines are leading the Filipino people to another People Power victory that symbolizes their eternal quest for truth, justice and accountability.
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(Gerry Albert Corpuz is a correspondent of Bulatlat.com, an alternative Philippine online news site. He is also head of the information department of Pamalakaya, a national federation of small fisherfolk organizations in the Philippines. His website is www.gerryalbertcorpuz.motime.com, and he can be contacted at themanager98@yahoo.com. ©Copyright Gerry Albert Corpuz.)
