All love's lost as civil society primes anti-Arroyo rallies

Valentine's Day this year, it seems, will not be rosy for President Arroyo as she and her administration brace themselves for street demonstrations to be led by some groups instrumental in her ascent to the presidency in 2001.

On Tuesday, at least 20 civil society and activist groups banded together to plan rallies against the President as allegations of corruption and anomalies continued to riddle her administration.

First stop is the opposition bailiwick of Makati City where a street demonstration will be held on Friday, a day after Valentine's.

"There's outrage here! It's time to move," said former transportation and communications secretary Josefina Lichauco of the Concerned Citizens Group.

Aside from Lichauco's group, those who have signified their intention of joining the rallies include Gabriela, Bagong Alyansang Makabayan, Black and White Movement, FPJ Movement, National Union of Students of the Philippines, Health Alliance for Democracy, Ecumenical Movement for Justice and Peace and Citizens Action Against Crime.

Some of these groups and their leaders supported Mrs. Arroyo in 2001 after the aborted impeachment trial of former president Joseph Estrada led to his downfall.

Earlier, the influential Makati Business Club (MBC) also called on Chairman Romulo Neri and Environment Secretary Lito Atienza to resign after their names were dragged into the national broadband network (NBN) controversy and issues related to it as exposed by Senate star witness Rodolfo "Jun" Lozada.

"Tama na ang kasinungalingan! Sobra na ang kasakiman! Manindigan na bayan!" said MBC executive director Alberto Lim.

(Enough with the lies. The greed is too much! Stand up for your beliefs!)

The group likewise said that it does not mind if Vice-President Noli de Castro replaces Mrs. Arroyo if ouster calls against her succeed.

"We don’t mind if Noli de Castro takes over if the president resigns. If she sees herself moving to the light like Jun Lozada, the consequence is Noli de Castro becomes president, we are willing to accept that. We’ll help Noli de Castro become a good president," Lim said.

Palace downplays dissent
De Castro, an ally of the President, meanwhile, he supports the campaign against corruption.

Malacañang, meanwhile, downplayed renewed calls for the President's ouster, saying the numbers will not be that big.

"I'm not sure it will be big," Press Secretary Ignacio Bunye said, referring to the rally set Friday in Makati.

Trade Secretary Peter Favila, meanwhile, dismissed the MBC's capability to support those who want to drive Mrs. Arroyo away from the Palace.

"What I know within MBC they are divided," he said.

Aside from the Makati rally on Friday, civil society groups said they will join the Mass to be offered by former president Corazon Aquino -- another Arroyo critic -- on Sunday at La Salle Greenhills in Mandaluyong City.

Lozada said that Mrs. Aquino told him about the scheduled Mass in support of his testimony before the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee.

Organizers said the 10 a.m. Mass will also be a venue for others involved in the alleged overpricing of the NBN contract with China’s ZTE Corp., to come out and tell the truth.

Mrs. Aquino also said the Mass will be in commemoration of the anniversary of the EDSA People Power 1, which catapulted her to the presidency in 1986.

The former president, one of the key figures in EDSA "people power revolution that ousted the late strongman Ferdinand Marcos, has been calling for Mrs. Arroyo's ouster because of allegations of anomalies and corruption in her administration.

Lozada, meanwhile, thanked the members of the media, particularly dzMM's Teleradyo for interviewing his wife Violet who appealed to the public who took him last week to return him to his family.

He said the radio interview made his captors panic. They eventually dropped him off at the La Salle school compound. With reports from dzMM and ABS-CBN News