“Sobra na, tama na.” Aquino, with Estrada by her side, flashes “Laban” sign.
70,000 come for Truth
Cory, Erap lead biggest rally against GMA yet
BY ASHZEL HACHERO
IN their biggest anti-Arroyo
gathering so far, sectoral groups yesterday gathered at
the Ninoy Aquino Monument in Makati City in an
interfaith prayer rally attended by former Presidents
Corazon Aquino and Joseph Estrada, who reiterated their
calls for President Arroyo's resignation.
Senate witness Rodolfo Noel "Jun"
Lozada, who exposed payoffs and other anomalies in
government's national broadband network deal with a
Chinese firm, also briefly addressed the crowd that
organizers said peaked at 80,000 at the monument at
Paseo de Roxas and Ayala avenues, with the protesters on
Ayala reaching the Glorietta area.
PRESIDENT Arroyo holed out Camp Crame
for three hours yesterday at the height of the interfaith
rally in Makati on a day which Palace officials said she
spent doing "regular governance work."
She returned around 7 p.m. to
Malacañang, the approaches to which were blocked by
stacked empty container vans.
PNP chief Avelino Razon said Arroyo
gave no specific instructions as she was in Camp Crame
simply to monitor the Makati situation.
DEFYING last-ditch scare tactics, a broad
movement of groups seeking President Arroyo's resignation
yesterday mobilized tens of thousand protesters at the
interfaith rally at the Ninoy Aquino Monument in Makati City.
Organizers placed the crowd at 75,000 to
80,000. The police figure was 15,000.
Makati City Mayor and United Opposition
president Jejomar Binay unleashed a minor political earthquake
when he ended his opening remarks by calling on stage former
Presidents Corazon Aquino, in her trademark yellow dress, and
Joseph Estrada, in a red windbreaker.
