World | Philippines
Protesters march against Arroyo on Women's Day
Hundreds of female left-wing activists celebrated International Women's Day with a march to the presidential palace on Saturday to demand the resignation of Philippine President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo for alleged corruption.
- AP
- Published: 16:00 March 8, 2008
- Image Credit: AP
- The Women's Day march took place near the Malacanang palace in central Manila.
Manila: Hundreds of female left-wing activists celebrated International Women's Day with a march to the presidential palace on Saturday to demand the resignation of Philippine President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo for alleged corruption.
Using steel fences wrapped with barbed-wire, police blocked the protesters on a bridge close to the Malacanang palace in central Manila.
The marchers carried red and purple banners saying "Oust Gloria" and chanted "Gloria, out now" as they tried to cross the historic bridge, scene of many violent confrontations between police and protesters since the martial law regime of the late Ferdinand Marcos.
The festive rally, punctuated by protest songs and anti-Arroyo slogans, ended with the burning of an effigy of the president, who was depicted as a thief carrying a bag full of money.
Liza Maza of the left-wing women's party, Gabriela, said, "We are calling on President Arroyo to resign and we are also calling on the people, especially the women, to unite and join this movement for change in our leadership."
The march was the latest in a series of protests triggered by allegations of bribery in a $330 million government broadband contract with China's telecommunications giant ZTE Corp.
Former consultants have testified in Senate hearings that Arroyo, her husband and the country's elections chief, who has since quit, benefited from huge kickbacks linked to the broadband project.
The scandal forced Arroyo to cancel the contract last year, but the opposition-dominated Senate is continuing an investigation into the deal.
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