By Manny Mogato
MANILA (Reuters) - Thousands of people rallied in Manila onFriday calling for the resignation of Philippine PresidentGloria Macapagal Arroyo over a corruption scandal.
Police said around 10,000 people, including left-wingactivists, students, religious groups and lawyers, had taken tothe streets.
The protests, sparked by a Senate inquiry into governmentkickbacks in a telecom deal, were the biggest since tens ofthousands of people demonstrated against Arroyo in 2005 amidallegations she cheated in elections the previous year.
"We are outraged by the reports of corruption and greed ingovernment," said Maita Gomez, an activist who said she waswearing red because it was the colour of anger.
Nuns, priests, artists and office workers danced as a localgroup belted out tunes, including Bob Marley's "Get Up, Standup" from a makeshift stage. People waved flags and posters withthe words "Out Gloria", one large banner read "GangsterRegime".
"This is a good starting point for future mass actions. Bythat time, the numbers would have grown significantly," saidRenato Reyes, the secretary general of Bayan, a left-winggroup.
But analysts said it would be difficult to get more peopleto join the protests because after three impeachment bids andat least three coup plots against Arroyo, the electorate cravesstability and the opposition lacks unity.
"She's still on the safe side," said Earl Parreno, ananalyst at the Institute for Political and Electoral Reforms.
"It's a challenge to the political opposition to fan theemotions, I have not seen the spontaneity as in past popularuprisings."
In an interview with Reuters earlier this week, Arroyo saidshe would complete her final term and in a briefing withinvestors on Friday, she assured them that the latestallegations were part of the typical politicalrough-and-tumble.
"These types of charges have regularly emerged even inprevious administrations, as part of our less than impressivepolitical culture," said the former economist, whose final termruns out in 2010.
The Senate inquiry has heard renewed allegations that thecountry's former election chief demanded $130 million (66.2million pounds) to broker a $329 million deal with China's ZTEto build a broadband network for government agencies.
The election official denied the charge, but the deal wasscrapped last year.
MERRY-GO-ROUND
But political analysts say the president's position appearssafe due to support from the military and the lower house ofCongress and the apathy of many Filipinos, who are sick of thepolitical merry-go-round in Manila.
Arroyo herself took over after former President JosephEstrada was ousted following street protests seven years ago.He was later convicted of plunder, but Arroyo granted him apardon last year.
The latest scandal has, however, unsettled some investors.The Philippine stock index bucked the regional uptrend onThursday and continued to fall on Friday, finishing down 0.9percent.
The Philippines is currently on an economic roll, withgrowth at a 31-year high and the budget deficit at a 10-yearlow, and Arroyo said the momentum would be sustained despite aslowdown in the United States through acceleratedinfrastructure spending.
(Writing by Carmel Crimmins; Editing by Raju Gopalakrishnanand Sanjeev Miglani)
