This is where your taxes go...

From the Malaya Editorial:

Today, her favorite mayor, Manila’s Lito Atienza, is sponsoring a "mammoth" rally at the Luneta in support of Arroyo. All city employes are required to attend on pain of having their P2,000 allowance withheld. Lito has many thousands more on call from Baseco. For a crisp Ninoy per, the body haulers would have no problem filling the space before the Quirino grandstand.

We can already see the multitude shouting themselves hoarse with cries of "Gloria! Gloria! Gloria!" Hizzoner would be mightily pleased. Nobody would be whispering the embarrassing fact that the thousands of families at the Baseco compound go 3 to 1 for Joseph Estrada over Gloria.

Read this too.

More on the Hakot Brigade for the "pro-GMA" rally:

Maliban sa puwersahang pagpapadala ng contingent mula Central Luzon, nadiskubre pang may standing order ang City Hall ng Maynila para padaluhin sa pro-Gloria rally ang mga staff ng mga establisimyento sa Roxas Boulevard.

Mismong si Manila Vice Mayor Danny Lacuna ay pumalag sa pagre-recuit umano ng mga tauhan ni Manila Mayor Lito Atienza dahil pinapadalo sa pro-Gloria rally ang mga empleyado nito sa pag-aaring establisimyento. "Ang nakakatawa du’n, pati iyong mga tauhan sa tindahan ni Vice Mayor Lacuna pinapadalo sa rally, eh alam naman nilang oposisyon ito. Kaya nga tawa raw nang tawa kasi hindi man lamang nag-iisip iyong nagre-recruit," anang isang source.

Tapos ito pa. Attendance for gov't workers and public school students are a must.

Gov’t workers, students forced to attend pro-Arroyo rally

The pro-Arroyo rally at the Quirino Grandstand in Luneta today may have the numbers but it is not because the public would be going there on their free will.

The Tribune yesterday learned that the local officials supporting embattled President Arroyo were forcing their employees and the students in the schools to participate in the rally dubbed the “Gathering for Peace and Unity for the Rule of Law.”

A regular employee of one of the urban cities in Metro Manila noted that even if he is not supporting Mrs. Arroyo he and his collegues still have to go to the rally as the mayor obliged them. He said there is a memorandum ordering them to join the pro-Arroyo event.

He added they will be forced to sign an attendance as proof that they really attended the rally.

Students were also compelled to participate as part of their National Service Training Program.

Aside from the local government employees, followers of Bro. Mariano “Mike” Velarde of El Shaddai were reportedly invited to the rally.

Malacañang, for its part, also yesterday distanced itself from the rally.

Press Secretary Ignacio Bunye said the gathering is an initiative of the lawmakers and mayors supporting Mrs. Arroyo.

Okay lang sana kung pera nila ang gagamitin nila para sa mga "pro-Arroyo" rallies, pero hindi eh. Pera ng bayan ang ginagamit to help keep the fake president in power. Tapos tayong mga taxpayers ang magbabayad when Arroyo increases our tax again to make up for the money spent on her presidential campaign and the "pro-Arroyo" rallies.

Cool Ambo makes a good point. So does Jon Prez.