BY REGINA BENGCO

PRESIDENT Arroyo will not attend the yearly flag-raising ceremony at the People Power Monument, which serves as the highlight of the Edsa 1 anniversary celebrations.

It would be the first time that the President would not join the ceremony, except in February 2006 when no celebration took place because of the alleged coup attempt by the opposition, Leftists and military "adventurists" to grab power from her.

Brig. Gen. Romeo Prestoza, commander of the Presidential Security Group, said they were not advised that Arroyo would go to the People Power Monument. He said it may have something to do with the scheduled rallies.

The rallies scheduled for today are meant to press for President Arroyo’s ouster on the ground that she has lost the moral authority to govern. The renewed resign calls were triggered by allegations of payoffs surrounding government’s national broadband network project.

In preparation for possible anti-administration rallies, both lanes of Mendiola street have been closed to motorists and the other half nearest to Malacañang blocked by containers vans. Six of the container vans are positioned at the Mendiola gate near Holy Spirit College and 29 at the La Consolacion College.

Militant groups are marching to Mendiola for its protest action.

Vice President Noli de Castro, former President Fidel Ramos, and Executive Secretary Eduardo Ermita would lead the flag-raising ceremony. The 17 mayors of Metro Manila led by MMDA chair Bayani Fernando and Quezon City mayor Feliciano Belmonte Jr. will raise their flags at the People Power Monument in White Plains.

Ermita, chairman of the Edsa People Power Commission, last week said he was not sure if Arroyo would be able to attend the flag-raising ceremony. He did not give the reason.

The schedule of activities released by the EPPC showed that Arroyo would only attend the wreath-laying on February 22 at the Libingan ng mga Bayani.

The Office of the Press Secretary released the schedules for only two presidential activities on Monday – the Grand Launching of the "Ahon Pinoy" program (APP) at the Silanganan Elementary School in Bagong Silang, Caloocan City at 11:45 a.m. and the "Peace Rally" at the Capitol Grounds in Trece Martires in Cavite at 1:30 p.m.

The Ahon Pinoy program is a poverty reduction strategy that provides financial assistance through the cash card to extremely poor households to allow its members to meet human development goals. It was conceived because of the lower level of schooling and high malnutrition rates among the country’s poorest families.

From the 6,000 poorest families identified in 2007, the target beneficiaries would be raised to 300,000 households this year. The 6,000 households were from Misamis Occidental, Agusan del Sur, and Pasay and Caloocan cities in Metro Manila but the 300,000 were identified nationwide.

Arroyo and Caloocan City Mayor Enrico Echiverri would distribute grocery packs to the poor, after which they will have an informal interaction with doctors and nurses of a medical and dental mission team attending to the poor patients.

The President would go back to Malacañang afterwards.

The EPPC said the highlight of the People Power Monument activities is the awarding of the 2008 Edsa 1 special awards to Go Negosyo and Alay sa Kawal Foundation Inc. for espousing peaceful unity, brotherhood and economic empowerment.

This activity would be capped by the release of a giant flag of balloons and the usual shower of yellow confetti while everyone sings "Magkaisa."

Simultaneous flag-raising and similar activities shall be held in selected cities and embassies abroad.

A jobs fair will follow immediately at POEA where applicants may access jobs and work employments for Canada, Middle East and Korea, including local employments.

Ramos, in his speech at the Libingan ng mga Bayani last Friday, lamented the Edsa 1 revolt is no longer being celebrated among the youth. He said the Spirit of Edsa 1 is being denigrated "perhaps because the greed, the apathy, and the corruption we brought down then are once again rearing their heads."