BY ASHZEL HACHERO

THE United Opposition and militant and civil society groups are staging a "Sobra na, Tama na" mass action this afternoon in Makati City to press for the resignation of President Arroyo.

The protest rally from 4 to 8 p.m. at the Ninoy Aquino Monument will serve as a launching pad for more mass actions, according to United Opposition (UNO) spokesman Adel Tamano.

Unlike other rallies, no political personalities will take center stage, he said.

"Everyone is invited. We believe it is time for our people to speak against the evil in our midst," Tamano said.

Organizers would not say how many are expected to attend the rally organized by the Church-based Solidarity Philippines, Bayan Muna, Gabriela, Karapatan, Bayan, Concerned Citizens Movement, and Black and White Movement, among others.

The participants will converge at Rustan’s on Ayala avenue and march toward the Ninoy Aquino Monument on Paseo de Roxas.

Tamano said it would just be a kick-off rally and a few thousand participants would be considered a success.

"Actually we don’t know how many people will attend. We have no target as to the numbers of rallyists," he said.

Bayan Muna secretary general Renato Reyes said they are expecting "several thousands" of protesters, including professionals, students, and members of religious groups.

But Fr. Dizon of Solidarity Philippines which applied for the rally permit said "more or less 5,000 patriotic Christians and concerned citizens of the land" will gather for today’s protest action.

The fresh calls for Arroyo’s resignation were triggered by Senate testimonies of Rodolfo Noel "Jun" Lozada of payoffs and other anomalies in the national broadband network project awarded by government to the Chinese firm ZTE Corp. The project was cancelled last year amid the allegations of anomalies.

Fr. Dizon said the rally is the answer to the call for "communal action" of the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines after Lozada’s revelations.

"This is God’s time that the evil in our midst will be eradicated," said he said.

President Arroyo said the people are already tired of the endless politicking and prefer stability and a harmonious society.

"Our people want peace stability and progress so those who try to disturb that peace and stability misread what the ordinary Filipino wants," she said at the 50th anniversary celebration of the Philippine College of Criminology Alumni Association Inc. at the Manila Hotel.

Press Secretary Ignacio Bunye said they expect rally participants to be minimal and insufficient to turn it into a "people power" event.

"I go by the history of what appears to be the lack of support from the people. Calls have been made several times before…so we believe that the outcome would be the same," he said.

NO EFFIGY BURNING

Makati Mayor and UNO president Jejomar Binay assured the police the mass action will be orderly and said the protesters would "respect" the presence of the police in the area as they would just be doing their job.

"We will not allow infiltrators to ruin the assembly. They have my word on this," he said after a meeting with Director Geary Barias, chief of the Metro Manila police.

The city government, in issuing a rally permit, banned the burning of effigies and lighting of firecrackers.

Barias assured Binay the police would respect the assembly. He said the rally participants would be given enough time to disperse after the mass action ends.

Tamano appealed to authorities to respect the people’s right to peaceful assembly.

"They should not use the bogey of terrorism or destabilization to disrupt the people’s right to peaceful assembly and movement. Lumang tugtugin na yan na may mangyayaring karahasan sa mga rali,’ he said.

OUT OF LINE

Tamano said rally organizers are apprehensive the police and military would block people from outside Metro Manila to prevent them from joining the rally in the guise of security threats. He noted that in the past, authorities set checkpoints along major thoroughfares especially, the North Luzon and South Luzon Expressway, to block rally participants from proceeding to Metro Manila.

Reyes said jeeploads of their supporters have been barred from traveling toward Metro Manila in the past, with road policemen accosting them for "traveling out of line."

Binay urged authorities to allow the protesters to express their grievances.

"Given the public outcry over the revelations of Mr. Lozada, it is only prudent for the police to allow the participants to express their grievances. They should refrain from taking any action that will be interpreted as an act of provocation," he said.

The Makati City police went on alert yesterday.

Some 200 regular policemen will secure the rally site, said Supt. Gilbert Cruz, Makati police chief.

"We don’t foresee any disorder during the rally because Mayor Binay assured us that it will be peaceful and orderly. We will be in the area to secure everybody," he said.

Barias said 200 anti-riot policemen will be placed on standby.

‘VIOLENT ACTIONS’

The Armed Forces is bracing for "violent actions" from so-called enemies of the state.

AFP chief Gen. Hermogenes Esperon Jr. placed the entire military under a "full state of preparedness" as a contingency measure under which military units would be ready for "specific tasking."

He said intelligence reports showed the New People’s Army will infiltrate "unspecified rallies and provoke or agitate people into violent actions."

"Second, some elements that used to belong to the Moro Islamic Liberation Front have formed themselves into a separate faction to carry out violent activities which have so far included the toppling of power transmission towers in Mindanao and now there are reports that they are bringing their action to Metro Manila and will hit at high value targets," he said.

Esperon said the full state of preparedness was declared also because of the reported plan of the Southeast Asian regional terrorist network Jemaah Islamiah and the local terrorist group Abu Sayyaf to assassinate President Arroyo.

Esperon dismissed supposed threats coming from within the ranks of the military. He said the 120,000-strong military establishment remains loyal to the chain of command.

TOO AGGRESSIVE

Sen. Mar Roxas asked the police and military to let the people assemble freely and exercise their right to speak,

"I also call upon indignant members of the uniformed services to temper their statements and leave the people to protest in peace. Let constitutional stability prevail over the paranoia of some people in power who seek to justify harsh action against protesters," he said.

Roxas said in previous rallies, the police were "too aggressive" in dispersing peaceful protesters, including students and women.

Detained Sen. Antonio Trillanes IV and other detained military officers said it is time to make a stand and expressed support for the rally. – With Jocelyn Montemayor, Raymond Africa, Victor Reyes and Gerard Naval