MANILA, Philippines -- A group of students and young professionals seeking to serve an "eviction" notice to President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo were driven away by presidnetial guards from the Malacañang complex on Tuesday.

The protesters from the Movement of the Youth for Empowerment, Reform, Advocacy and Progress (my ERAP) were virtually thrown out by Presidential Security Group (PSG) and Philippine National Police (PNP) personnel preempting a rally supposed to be staged by the groups at the J.P. Laurel Street gate of the Palace compound in San Miguel.

A planned mass at the St. Jude Shrine and a scheduled press briefing at the Max’s Restaurant along JP Laurel Street were also cancelled at around 8 a.m. purportedly on the orders of the PSG, which allegedly warned that they would be compelled to act against the establishments if the protesters were allowed to proceed with their activities.

As a result, the 50 members of the group were prevented from entering the church as well as the restaurant and were soon shepherded out of the establishments along the Malacañang perimeter by PSG men and operatives of the National Capital Region Office Mobile Group (NCRPO-RMG) as well as the Manila Police District (MPD).

In a statement, the myERAP said, “Today (June 30) marks one year before Mrs. Arroyo is scheduled to step down under the Constitution. It is a constitution which Arroyo, through her allies in Congress, wants to mutilate to allow her to stay in power beyond 2010.”

Lloyd Zaragoza, spokesman of the group Goodbye Gloria, said, “Today we start the year long wait for Arroyo to finish his term with a fervent prayer that Arroyo and her cronies turn away from their wickedness and greed for power and step down next year.”

But the group’s plan to serve the eviction notice backfired on them.

They were also greeted by members of the Youth Organizations Unified for the Next Generation of Filipinos (YOUNG Pinoys) who condemned the myERAP activities as “politically motivated.”

The pro-administration group claimed, “These politically motivated activities masked in religious gatherings are absolutely disgusting actions by these selfish groups who are just trying to advertise themselves for the upcoming elections, and are obvious signs that they can’t wait to grab power.”

While the PSG and PNP men drove away the myERAP group, they allowed YOUNG Pinoys to stage their lightning rally at the corner of JP Laurel and Concepcion Aguilar Streets, near Malacañang.