MASSIVE SECURITY FOR FPJ BURIAL
MANILA, December 22, 2004, (STAR) By Marichu Villanueva - Massive security will be in place for today’s funeral of movie icon Fernando Poe Jr. at the North Cemetery in Quezon City amid fears it could turn into a huge anti-government protest.Over 1,000 police officers will be deployed to the daybreak funeral procession for Poe that is expected to be attended by hundreds of thousands of people, the Philippine National Police (PNP) said yesterday. Organizers said the crowd could grow to about two million.
Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) chief Gen. Efren Abu said troops would be on high alert amid threats from communist rebels and urban terrorists.
Abu expressed hopes the eight-hour funeral march from the Sto. Domingo Church to the North Cemetery would be peaceful and orderly as security forces braced themselves for rioting and unrest during and after the funeral.
He said augmentation forces from the Southern Luzon and Northern Luzon commands and the Army’s Special Forces, troops from the Air Force and the Marines have been placed on standby for possible deployment for today’s march.
Abu said the AFP has placed at least five military battalions on alert, including the National Capital Region Command.
"At the moment we have about five battalions na naka-standby," he said.
Abu said the AFP has not received reports that some groups are planning to disrupt the funeral and fuel rumors of destabilization plots.
He also brushed aside reports that a group of senior military and police officers was to take advantage of the situation for another power grab.
Security in and around Malacañang is on high alert, with 10-foot container vans placed alongside barbed wire fence on roadblocks on streets leading to the Palace.
Presidential Security Group (PSG) chief Col. Delfin Bangit said the roadblocks were meant to implement a traffic rerouting scheme to help motorists out from the expected traffic jams in nearby areas of A.H. Lacson (formerly Gov. Forbes) where the funeral entourage will pass.
"The entire Armed Forces are on red alert," Bangit said as he bared yesterday "important security advisory" to all Palace officials and employees on the new security requirements to be enforced today.
The PSG will be implementing no parking zones in strategic areas near Malacañang and nearby buildings.
Officials and employees were also advised to park their vehicles at the Malacañang Park or at the PSG compound before they are ferried by barge across the Pasig River.
Palace visitors were also advised on the security arrangements with all arrivals "subjected to very strict inspections and access control."
Authorities have implemented a full security alert as Poe’s widow, Susan Roces, asked mourners not to turn the funeral into a political event.
Tens of thousands of Poe’s supporters who visited Sto. Domingo Church in Quezon City to view his remains over the past week expressed anger at the government, saying the presidential election was stolen from their silver screen idol.
Police estimated the crowd to have doubled from the previous days, as the public viewing was put to a halt around 8 p.m. last night.
According to the FPJ Wake Coordinating Council, the number of people who flocked to the church reached at least two million since last week.
As early as 4 p.m. yesterday, marshals and the police jointly controlled the number of people lining up to view Poe’s remains. A group of Aetas also joined the long line of supporters.
Security concerns
Poe, 65, died on Dec. 14 after suffering a stroke two days earlier. Poe had filed a petition before the Presidential Electoral Tribunal (PET) charging he had been cheated in the hotly contested May 10 presidential vote.
A funeral wreath sent by President Arroyo was torn to pieces and burned Tuesday by angry Poe supporters.
As the tension mounted, Mrs. Arroyo appealed Tuesday for military support in an address to soldiers to mark the 69th anniversary of the AFP.
The military should "stand beside me in the quest for peace with honor, dignity and justice for all Filipinos," Mrs. Arroyo said.
The President survived a military revolt by disgruntled junior military officers in July last year and politicians have expressed fears that anti-government elements could exploit the Poe funeral to stoke protests.
Former President Joseph Estrada, Poe’s best friend who is on trial for massive corruption during his term, was granted yesterday a one-day furlough to attend the wake but was denied permission to join today’s march.
The Sandiganbayan barred Estrada from attending the funeral march, citing security concerns.
Tens of thousands of Estrada supporters tried to storm Malacañang on May 1, 2001, shortly after Estrada was overthrown in a military-backed popular revolt and placed under arres for corruption.
Mrs. Arroyo called in the military to quell the violent rioting that claimed three lives.
Opposition Sen. Aquilino Pimentel Jr. said the Sandiganbayan decision to bar Estrada from the procession toward North Cemetery was correct because his presence "could very well spark outright hostility against the government."
"We in the legitimate opposition will help monitor the activities of the people who will join the funeral cortege and it is our suggestion to Poe’s followers not to inject partisanship as we bring him to his final resting place," Pimentel said.
Pimentel, however, said authorities may find it difficult to control a huge partisan crowd outnumbering policemen and soldiers.
He said one cannot but be overwhelmed by the multitudes of people who take the trouble of queuing for three to 12 hours just to spend a few seconds to catch a glimpse of their late action hero.
Poe was a hero to millions of Filipinos who embraced the fist-swinging, straight-shooting underdog hero he typically played in more than 200 action films.
The late actor had hoped to repeat Estrada’s political success by merging his movie stardom with promises of a better life for the legions of disenfranchised.
"I think the message is that they have an empathy for FPJ over his lost presidential bid. I think they are expressing also their personal grief over the fact that FPJ was cheated in the election," Pimentel said.
Presidential Spokesman Ignacio Bunye, for his part, expressed hopes that supporters and followers of the late actor would respect the wishes of the bereaved family to bury his remains beside his parents’ graves at the North Cemetery in a low key ceremony.
Bunye called on the people to "respect the serenity of Poe’s wake" by refraining from "discussing politics or issuing statements that may only trigger divisiveness and unrest, and taint the memory of many who stood for peace, national harmony and solidarity."
"We hope that calm and serenity will prevail and we are also thankful for the call of the Poe family to make his funeral peaceful," he said.
Bunye said the local governments of Quezon City and Manila have made preparations in coordination with the National Capital Regional Police Office (NCRPO) led by Director Avelino Razon.
Police authorities have also provided 10 buses as standby vehicles for Poe’s relatives and friends.
Naty Guerrero of the FPJ Wake Coordinating Council said three private helicopters were hired for the funeral service to shower blue and white confetti and rose petals at the crowd during the long funeral march.
In the schedule of events, a Mass will be held at 2 a.m. before the funeral march starts at 4 a.m.
The procession will pass through Quezon Avenue and España before turning right to A.H. Lacson Avenue proceeding to Dimasalang toward the main gate of North Cemetery.
Police had estimated the funeral march will last for four hours.
Bunye said the funeral routes have been mapped out by authorities concerned ahead of today’s interment, with the approval of Poe’s family.
Slight changes were made, however, in the details of the funeral service. Roces and daughter Mary Grace Poe-Llamanzares reportedly decided to walk with other mourners instead of being on a horse-drawn carriage, following the caisson that will carry Poe’s remains. – With Jaime Laude, Jose Rodel Clapano, Katherine Adraneda, Nestor Etolle, Non Alquitran, Christina Mendez, Evelyn Macairan, Pete Laude, AFP
Reported by: Sol Jose Vanzi
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by PHILIPPINE HEADLINE NEWS ONLINE
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