MANILA, Philippines—Hard times have prompted protesters to recycle and economize.

Carrying faded three-year-old banners and effigies made of recycled paper and cheap cloth, they denounced President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo’s eighth State of the Nation Address (SONA) as “pretentious.”

Some 20 minutes before the President faced the joint session of Congress, Bagong Alyansang Makabayan (Bayan) burned down an effigy of a smiling Ms Arroyo while aboard a plane painted with the colors of the United States.

In 10 minutes, the effigy burned to the beat of drums and a circle dance reminiscent of tribal rites in Northern Luzon.

The effigy had a 10-foot papier-maché image of the hull of a sunken ship, MV Pilipinas, created in the image of the MV Princess of the Stars that sank off the coast of Romblon last month at the height of Typhoon “Frank” (international codename: Fengshen).

Old newspapers

The two-piece effigy was made of cheap coco lumber and recycled newspapers. It was finished in a week by the artists’ group Ugat Lahi at a cost of about P10,000, according to Aldrein Salanga.

“Even making the effigy is affected by the rising prices. Art supplies now cost more. But we do not feel like it’s a waste that we just burn it because it was made for that purpose,” Salanga said.

Amid a drizzle, the militants decried Ms Arroyo’s “I care” line in her speech.

Ms Arroyo had yet to finish her speech when Bayan secretary general Renato Reyes decided to relay the President’s message to thousands assembled before a police barricade on the closed eastbound lane of Commonwealth Avenue in Quezon City.

“The President said she was worried for students, for farmers, for workers, for teachers. She said she wanted to help the poor,” Reyes said.

To this, the crowd gave resounding replies: “Ows?” “Boo!”

Hard sell for VAT

Reyes and party-list representatives of the alliance, who had walked out of the House of Representatives where Ms Arroyo delivered her SONA, listened to the President’s message live on AM radio while they stayed with the protest throughout the afternoon.
“It is shocking that she said she’s worried. It’s incredible because her policies do not help uplift the situation of the poor and in fact worsen it. It’s an elaborate sales pitch for VAT (value-added tax), despite surveys showing that people are opposed to it,” Reyes said.

He called the message a hard sell for the tax that raises prices of basic goods at a time of double-digit inflation.

Earlier, at Bayan’s five-hour “People’s SONA” on a half-kilometer stretch of Commonwealth Avenue, Bayan Muna party-list Rep. Satur Ocampo said figures could no longer hide government’s projection of a glowing economy.

“The economy is shrinking because there is no proper basis of modern agriculture, no strong industry... The government is a puppet of the United States,” Ocampo said, standing on a truck before a crowd that the organization said numbered 13,000.

Police, however, placed the estimate at 5,000.

FPJ’s daughter

At the rally, Grace Poe, daughter of the late actor Fernando Poe Jr., faced the crowd and delivered strong words at the anti-Arroyo gathering.

“If FPJ (Poe who lost in the 2004 presidential election) had not been cheated, our SONA would not be like this... Let’s not surrender our kids’ future. As FPJ said, the fight is not over,” Grace said in Filipino, reminding the audience of allegations that Ms Arroyo cheated in the election to beat the action star.

Tension on westbound lane

Tension momentarily erupted on the westbound lane of the avenue at around 2:45 p.m. when some 2,000 protesters belonging to Akbayan, Alliance of Progressive Labor and Partido ng Manggagawa tried to assemble in front of St. Peter’s Parish church.

Led by Akbayan party-list Rep. Riza Hontiveros Baraquel, the protesters were able to pass through the first police blockade in front of the Capitol Estates I Subdivision where groups allied with Bayan were holding their own version of the SONA.

Antiriot policemen tried but failed to prevent the protesters from advancing near the church by placing two dump trucks to block their path.

However, around 150 shield-bearing policemen met Baraquel’s group a few meters from the church.

A violent confrontation between the policemen and the protesters was averted as Baraquel talked with Senior Supt. Federico Laciste, the ground commander of the Quezon City Police District (QCPD) contingent.

CHR lawyers

Lawyers and field investigators from the Commission on Human Rights also mediated between the two groups. “We are here as part of our observation and monitoring of the event to make sure no rights are violated,” lawyer Carmen Rosete said.

Rosete lamented that many policemen were not wearing nameplates.

The incident stalled the flow of vehicles going to and from Fairview. At around 3:45 p.m., the protesters dispersed.

Laciste estimated the crowd that gathered on Commonwealth Avenue at 7,000.

He said more than 3,000 police personnel were deployed to form three layers of Crowd Dispersal Management teams at the Batasan Complex where the House is located.

Director Geary Barias, National Capital Region Police Office chief, said the rallies were generally peaceful.

A total of 7,000 police and military Civil Disturbance Management personnel were deployed in different parts of Metro Manila for the SONA.

Mendiola

Earlier in the day, some 500 protesters attempted to march toward Mendiola Bridge in Manila but they were blocked by policemen.

Members of Buklurang Manggagawa ng Pilipinas (BMP) and Sanlakas, who arrived at Morayta Street and Recto Avenue at 10:40 a.m., were barred by about 150 police personnel from going to the no-rally zone near Malacañang.

About 30 tricycles from the Pagkakaisa ng Manggagawa sa Transportasyon joined the mass action to demand the removal of the VAT on petroleum products. The protesters peacefully dispersed at around 11:30 a.m. With reports from Allison W. Lopez and Nikko Dizon