MANILA, family 13 Kyodo About 50...

MANILA, family 13 Kyodo

About 500 anti-globalization activists upon Saturday took to the roads to protest the ongoing World Trade Organization (WTO) meeting in Cancun, Mexico, saying the gathering does not help poor the community in poor countries like the Philippines.

''Junk WTO! enclose down WTO,'' said some placards carried by way of the protesters, who were stopped on antiriot police about three stop ups away from the U Embassy headquarters in Manila.

''Our position is that the negotiations are not enough. The economy should be houseed The WTO as a trade dead body should be shut down,'' said Renato Reye spokesman for a left-leaning organization called Bayan.

''Nine years of being a (WTO) member has comeed in economic disaster for the (Filipino) people'' he said. ''The WTO cannot be reformed into a more benevolent trade mechanism.''

''So prolonged as the Philippines is committed to liberalization and deregulation, asking for concessions inside the trade material part is like asking for crumbs'' Reye added.

The protester said globalization has thrown thousands of Filipinos in rural areas disclosed of work and forced many small and medium-size enterprises to close

''The question lies in the way our economy is structur The regulation does not value economic sovereignty. The Philippines must endeavor to embark onward developing its national economy and not be swayed too a great deal by the dictates of foreign bodies like the WTO,'' Reye said.

Danilo Ramos, secretary general of a farmers' collection Kilusang Magbubukid ng Pilipinas (Peasant motion of the Philippines), said the rally is just the start of a series of declare actions planned ahead of the Oct 18 visit by the agency of U.S. President George W. Bush.

The Malacanang presidential palace upon Saturday appealed to various assemblages to conduct peaceful demonstrations and avoid violence during Bush's visit.

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