CEBU - The Naga town police here held in custody at about 1:30 p.m. yesterday the 31-man "Voyagers for Peace" from Negros Occidental who are in a caravan to protest the ongoing staging of the 12th ASEAN Summit.

"We were tagged as terrorists," Felipe Levy Gelle, secretary-general of Bayan-Negros told the DAILY STAR while being held by the police.

Gelle said operatives stopped the contingent at a PNP checkpoint where the contents of their bags were inspected. We were then told there was an intelligence information from Toledo town regarding "terrorists" allegedly on board two vans going to Cebu , he said.

"When the PNP could not find anything from us, we were ordered to proceed to the Naga police station where our names were jotted down, and pictures of us were taken," he added.

Gelle said they were released at around 2:15 p.m.

At 3:30 p.m,., however, they were again flagged down at Manglanilla, about 15 kilometers from Cebu . Worse, the two vans were impounded by the police, Gelle disclosed.

"This is a strong manifestation that the police is no longer respecting the right of the people to peaceably assemble," Gelle said.

He stressed that this only shows that the Arroyo administration wants to conceal the true issues of the Filipino people from the Summit leaders," he added.

Security inspections here shifted to high gear with the formal start yesterday of talks of the ASEAN member-countries' heads of states, with this year's chair Philippine President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo.

Ministerial meetings are also ongoing.

On his visit here Wednesday, PNP Chief Dir. Gen. Oscar Calderon said they are discouraging militant groups from staging any protest demonstrations during the summit.

He assured, though, that the security task force will still exercise maximum tolerance in dealing with protestors.

Civil disturbance squads, PNP Special Action Force troopers, and anti-riot police contingents have been deployed in various summit venues.

They form part of the 6,000-strong police force to ensure the safety of delegates, apart from the 40 security cameras installed on the roads.

At their departure in Bacolod City , Gelle's group was blessed by a priest at the San Sebastian Cathedral.

In their statement, they said they will condemn political killings, puppetry of the Arroyo administration and the imperialist globalization.

"Rain or shine, we are determined to push through with the protest. There will be protest marches, teach-ins and public discussions as well as cultural activities that will draw attention to various issues in the Philippines ," it added.

"Everyday, there will be different protest actions. Thousands of riot police will not deter us", said BAYAN Negros deputy secretary-general Zara Alvarez.*GCT

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