Two former presidents joined thousands of protesters yesterday at an interfaith rally pressing for Philippine President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo's resignation over a raging corruption scandal.
Thousands of soldiers and police went on high alert, setting up checkpoints at major highways as demonstrators gathered in the financial district for what organizers billed as the biggest crowd so far in weeks of protests. Tens of thousands of people filled nearby streets.
The rally was organized by a loose coalition of opposition groups, business people, left-wing activists, Roman Catholic Church-backed organizations and a large evangelical group, the Jesus is Lord Movement.
PHOTO: EPA
They were joined by former presidents Corazon Aquino -- who led the 1986 "people power" revolt that toppled dictator Ferdinand Marcos and restored democracy to the Philippines -- and Arroyo's predecessor Joseph Estrada, who was ousted over massive corruption in 2001.
Both said that Arroyo, who has fended off three impeachment bids and four coup plots in seven years in power, should step down as the most peaceful option to the political crisis that is battering her government.
"No single group or person claims credit in leading this initiative," said Renato Reyes, secretary-general of the left-wing alliance, Bayan. "Mrs Gloria Arroyo made this possible. Her bankrupt and corrupt regime provided the urgency for everyone to set aside their differences and struggle together for truth and justice."
Arroyo's latest trouble stems from allegations of corruption in a US$330 million broadband deal with China's ZTE Corp, which she was forced to cancel.
In televised Senate hearings watched by millions, former consultants for the telecommunications contract have described how the president's husband and the country's elections chief -- who has since quit -- benefited from huge kickbacks linked to the aborted contract. Both men have denied any wrongdoing.
Arroyo has not directly addressed the allegations against her and her husband but says she opposes corruption and that her family does no business with the government. ZTE also has denied the allegations.
Aquino said growing public discontent over the scandal could force Arroyo to quit.
"I am growing optimistic because I can see that more and more Filipinos are taking part in the effort to find the truth," Aquino said. "What came out in the Senate hearings was really shocking."
A fire caused by a burst gas pipe yesterday spread to several homes and sent a fireball soaring into the sky outside Malaysia’s largest city, injuring more than 100 people. The towering inferno near a gas station in Putra Heights outside Kuala Lumpur was visible for kilometers and lasted for several hours. It happened during a public holiday as Muslims, who are the majority in Malaysia, celebrate the second day of Eid al-Fitr. National oil company Petronas said the fire started at one of its gas pipelines at 8:10am and the affected pipeline was later isolated. Disaster management officials said shutting the
DITCH TACTICS: Kenyan officers were on their way to rescue Haitian police stuck in a ditch suspected to have been deliberately dug by Haitian gang members A Kenyan policeman deployed in Haiti has gone missing after violent gangs attacked a group of officers on a rescue mission, a UN-backed multinational security mission said in a statement yesterday. The Kenyan officers on Tuesday were on their way to rescue Haitian police stuck in a ditch “suspected to have been deliberately dug by gangs,” the statement said, adding that “specialized teams have been deployed” to search for the missing officer. Local media outlets in Haiti reported that the officer had been killed and videos of a lifeless man clothed in Kenyan uniform were shared on social media. Gang violence has left
US Vice President J.D. Vance on Friday accused Denmark of not having done enough to protect Greenland, when he visited the strategically placed and resource-rich Danish territory coveted by US President Donald Trump. Vance made his comment during a trip to the Pituffik Space Base in northwestern Greenland, a visit viewed by Copenhagen and Nuuk as a provocation. “Our message to Denmark is very simple: You have not done a good job by the people of Greenland,” Vance told a news conference. “You have under-invested in the people of Greenland, and you have under-invested in the security architecture of this
Japan unveiled a plan on Thursday to evacuate around 120,000 residents and tourists from its southern islets near Taiwan within six days in the event of an “emergency”. The plan was put together as “the security situation surrounding our nation grows severe” and with an “emergency” in mind, the government’s crisis management office said. Exactly what that emergency might be was left unspecified in the plan but it envisages the evacuation of around 120,000 people in five Japanese islets close to Taiwan. China claims Taiwan as part of its territory and has stepped up military pressure in recent years, including