http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/inquirerheadlines/nation/view/20080712-147945/Where-have-all-the-protesters-gone

By Desiree Caluza, Nikko Dizon, Jerome Aning
Philippine Daily Inquirer
First Posted 01:38:00 07/12/2008

MANILA, Philippines—Hunger is keeping protesters away from the streets, a leader of the militant group Bayan (Bagong Alyansang Makabayan, or New Nationalist Alliance) said.

As angry as they are with the government and want to express this through rallies and demonstrations, activists have to earn a living, Bayan chair Carol Araullo said.

“They will not go to the rallies, because the fare is expensive,” Araullo said. “If they will not work, they will not earn. Even if they are suffering, they manage to stay calm.”

She said ousting President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo might not happen “although the people are mad.”

On Friday, dozens of protesters scuffled with guards at the headquarters of Petron Corp., the country’s biggest oil company.

But the head of military intelligence on Friday ruled out the possibility of riots breaking out because of the rising prices of food and fuel.

Brig. Gen. Romeo Prestoza, chief of Intelligence Service of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (ISAFP), said authorities were prepared for street protests over inflation, but added he did not expect violence and rioting as had happened in some parts of the world.

Prestoza said leftwing groups were using the high prices of food and fuel as a propaganda tool against the government, and allayed fears of a breakdown in law and order.

“Based on our culture, it’s unlikely,” he said of violence over high prices. “Filipinos are a mature people. The situation would already be extreme if looting and riots break out because of lack of food.”

The ISAFP, in a directive issued by President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo in early June and released only this week, has been ordered to “provide timely intelligence assessment of political and security developments related to the oil price issue.”

Prestoza said that so far no antigovernment groups or personalities had tried to exploit public outrage over inflation, except for what he called “noisy” militant groups.

The militants are the only ones openly protesting but they “only talk and talk without offering any solutions” to the problem, Prestoza said in a phone interview.

Prestoza said ISAFP teams tasked to carry out Arroyo’s order had been attending seminars with the Department of Agriculture and Department of Energy to understand the finer details of the food and energy crisis.

Watching TV or praying

Araullo, who was interviewed in Baguio City on the sidelines of a forum on the economic crisis, organized by the Interfaith Gathering for Truth and Accountability and Tongtongan Ti Umili on Wednesday, said the poor who were suffering from the unabated increases in fuel, oil and food prices preferred to just endure the hardship.

“We have a saying that we have to curl up to fit the short blanket. But until when?” she said.

Filipinos try to escape the unpleasant conditions brought on by the economic crisis either by watching entertainment shows on television or just praying, Araullo said.

Gasoline prices have risen by about one-third since the start of the year and consumers have been demanding abolition of the value-added tax (VAT) on oil, which adds 12 percent to the effective price of petroleum products.

On Friday, dozens of members of the League of Filipino Students pelted the Petron headquarters in the Makati business district with used oil wrapped in small plastic bags during a protest, triggering a scuffle with private security guards.

A team of antiriot police stepped in to separate the two groups. There were no arrests and no injuries reported.

“In the coming weeks, there will be civil unrest,” Andrew Zarate, a spokesperson for the Anakbayan party-list group, told reporters.

“The crisis will push people to come out, protest, make noise and express their anger against the government,” he said.

Black Friday

Despite the announcement of a P1.00 per liter rollback in fuel prices, Bayan went ahead with its Black Friday protest action and noise barrage.

“The rollback is definitely not enough, not when oil companies are even threatening to increase prices by one lump sum of P7 per liter. The rollback is a calibrated move to lull the public into complacency before the big P7 per liter whammy,” said Bayan secretary general Renato M. Reyes Jr.

“Our call is still for the removal of the value-added tax on oil and power and the scrapping of the Oil Deregulation Law. Piecemeal rollbacks may provide relief today but with VAT and the deregulation law still in place, oil prices are sure to get higher in a matter of time,” he said.

On Thursday, about 1,000 students from the University of the Philippines, Baguio, walked out of their classes to protest the increases in tuition and prices of oil and rice. They also called for the ouster of President Arroyo.

Araullo urged people to join protest rallies, because they have “nothing to lose.”

“With the extreme crisis that we are experiencing now, the poor should protest,” she said.

Reyes told reporters, “We have to continue with the protests. It is the only way to fight back against abusive pricing and oppressive taxation.”With a report from Reuters; with editing by INQUIRER.net

13th July 2008 | Filed under: In The News | Click here to follow any responses to this entry: RSS 2.0 feed