Quote for the Week..

"Why are the country’s political leaders quick to act on amending the Constitution to change nationalistic provisions for the benefit of foreigners or to extend their terms of office but are allergic to amending the Constitution to address the people’s aspirations for self-determination?" - Marvic Leonen,Dean of the UP College of Law, in a keynote address delivered at the 1st International Solidarity Conference on Mindanao; March 16-18, 2009 in Davao City, Philippines.

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Friday, December 12, 2008

Arroyo cancels Mindanao visit

President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo cancelled her trip to Shariff Kabunsuan province on Friday, when groups opposed to Charter change are expected to mount a huge protest.

Malacanang said Arroyo called off the trip not because of the protest but to prepare for her trip to Qatar on Saturday.

"The trip did not push through due to the Middle East trip tomorrow [Saturday]. The President has to prepare for events in the host country," Presidential Security Group (PSG) chief Brigadier General Celedonio Boquiren said in a statement released through Press Undersecretary Jose Capadocia.

Arroyo was expected at the Tapayan Elementary School in Sultan Mastura at 11:20 a.m. It was her only official schedule that was open for media coverage for the day.
On Friday afternoon, activist organizations, civil society groups, and religious organizations will mount a march in the Makati City financial district to denounce efforts by Arroyo's allies at the House of Representatives to amend the 1987 Constitution, which they said could extend her term beyond 2010.

On Thursday morning, a roadside bomb exploded in Datu Odin Sinsuat town, where the Shariff Kabunsuan airport is located. There were no casualties. (Joel Quinto; INQ.net)

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