BY JOB REALUBIT

THE militant group Bagong Alyansang Makabayan (Bayan) yesterday said its contingent from Southern Tagalog was blocked by police in the Cabuyao, Laguna area, as it was on its way to Makati City for the interfaith rally.

The police did not give any reason, said Renato Reyes, Bayan secretary general, quoting sketchy reports from its chapter.

The Southern Tagalog chapter eventually arrived in Makati at around 4:30 p.m.

In Calamba, Laguna, a group of protesters in 11 vehicles was blocked by policemen at the national highway. Police said their vehicles were out of line. Instead of Makati, the group held their anti-Arroyo rally in Calamba.

In Quezon City, the Kabataan party list group said some 500 students from UP Diliman marching to the rally site were stopped by police manning a checkpoint in Philcoa. The students were allowed to proceed after negotiating with the police, said the group’s Raymond Palatino.

In Cavite, two busloads of faculty and students from the De La Salle were also stopped by police at a checkpoint in Dasmariñas. They were later told to use the Aguinaldo highway to proceed to Makati.

PNP chief Avelino Razon said checkpoints were set up in parts of the South Luzon and the North Luzon expressways to control the movement of "firearms, deadly weapons, explosives" and prevent these from being brought to the rally site.

"Di po hinaharang (ang mga rallyists)," he said.

Director Silverio Alarcio, chief of the PNP directorate for operations, said checkpoints were set up in main entry arteries to Manila, including the NLEX and SLEX.

Checkpoints have been in place at the Coastal Road in Cavite since February 1 as part of the anti-criminality campaign, he said.

He said the checkpoints were set up to control the movement of illegal items.

He said a police checkpoint at the Sipocot-Naga road in the Bicol region yesterday recovered of a box of explosives in a Mabel passenger bus bound for Manila.

No arrest was made as the identity of its owner has not been established.

"Mabuti na lang at na-intercept natin itong mga explosives na papunta sa Manila ngayong pa namang may malaking rally dito," Alarcio said.

The AFP National Capital Region Command said its intelligence agents monitored a van on Estrella street in Makati, carrying people wearing armbands of Magdalo group that staged the Oakwood mutiny in 2003.

Capt. Carlo Ferrer, NCRcom spokesman, said the beige L300 van (PRG 956) was carrying members of the Laban ng Masa of former UP president Francisco Nemenzo, who was charged in connection with the standoff at the Manila Peninsula in Makati last November.

Ferrer could not say how the intelligence agents identified the members.

Hours before the interfaith rally, the NCRcom chief Maj. Gen. Fernando Mesa gathered at least 2,000 of his men in front of the AFP grandstand in Camp Aguinaldo and warned those who may be planning to grab power they will be met with the "full force" of the Armed Forces.

The fully armed troops were backed by 12 armored personnel carriers and four battle tanks.

The NCRcom is on standby in case the PNP needs assistance during the rally.

Many of the NCRcom soldiers wore a luminous light green sticker on their right collar.

The AFP is on red alert.

Also in Camp Aguinaldo, a "unity Mass" was offered at the grandstand, attended by about 2,000 soldiers and around 3,000 civilians from Marikina City. – With Raymond Africa, Victor Reyes and Christian Oineza