At the corner of Paseo De Roxas and Ayala Avenue in Makati City not far from the stage, a large poster that shows the faces of the members of Congress who voted for the passage of HR 1109 is laid down on the ground. There are all sorts of vandal writings on it and rallyists are trampling upon it, showing their indignation at the faces plastered on it.
At the stage, a program is in progress. There are Filipino songs, dances, poems, and skits mocking the Arroyo administration. Rousing speeches are rendered by Mary Grace Poe Llamanzares, daughter of Fernando Poe, Jr. who ran for president against Gloria Arroyo in 2004, and by Teofisto Guingona, a former vice president of the republic.
The litany of various sectors of the society present in the rally continues: Alliance for Concerned Teachers, Kabataan Partylist, left wing groups like Bayan, Bayan Muna, Sanlakas, Migrante International, overseas workers groups, jeepney drivers groups, cause oriented groups like Akbayan, Gabriela, Selda, August Twenty One Movement, labor organizations, farmers' groups, Black & White Movement, Concerned Artists of the Philippines, Selda, Task Force Detainees of the Philippines, Association of Major Religious Superiors of the Philippines, student groups, Kaya Natin, College Editors Guild of the Philippines, YouthVote Philippines, Green Families and Communities Network and more...
Josefina Lichauco, a former government official denounces the administration of Arroyo as evil. Former president Cory Aquino is feeling weak and cannot attend the rally but her resolve to condemn the passage of HR 1109 is as strong as ever as she indicates in her letter that is read by her grandson Kiko Dy. JV Ejercito reads his father Joseph Estrada's letter of support for the anti- con ass rallyists. The former president is in the Middle East extending help to our countrymen working in Kuwait. Most of the senators who are against the passage of the resolution go up the stage to make a vow that they will fight its passage in the Senate.
Senators Biazon, Aquino, Cayetano, Lacson and those who expressed their intention to run in the 2010 elections - Escudero, Roxas and Legarda - call on the people to take a stand.
The members of Congress who did not vote for the passage of the bill and were in fact not allowed to protest against HR 1109, are called upon the stage. Bayan Muna representative Satur Ocampo makes an impassioned speech where he accuses the whole rigmarole of the passing of HR 1109 as having been planned by the president herself and executed by her allies in Congress. He avers that there was no public hearing and those who protested against the resolution were not allowed to speak at all.
The New Panatang Makabayan written by National Artist Bienvenido Lumbera is recited by everyone.It was patterned after the vow recited by every Filipino school child during flag ceremony but many of the words were replaced by Lumbera as a sign of protest against the Arroyo administration.
Joe de Venecia, who used to be an ally of Gloria Arroyo when he was still Speaker of the House of Representatives, reveals that it was Arroyo's intention to remain in power for a long time and a constituent assembly will help bring that goal of hers to fruition.
Rallyists who cannot go near the stage watch from two giant screens set up at strategic locations. As the gathering of protesters goes on into the night, the chant reverberates all throughout the central business district, "Con Ass at Gloria!" "Ibasura!" ("Con Ass and Gloria!" "Throw them out!").
Thousands show their disgust at the passage of HR 1109. Just across the street from the stage, the statue of fallen statesman Ninoy Aquino remains a symbol of protest against the current political status quo just as he had been when he was alive.
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