CALAMBA - Nine leftist protesters were arrested for heckling  President Gloria Arroyo as she was about to begin a speech at a rally south of the capital Manila, the authorities said.

The suspects, all members of the May First Movement labor union, will be charged with causing "alarm and scandal", which is a relatively minor offence, said municipal police chief Ricardo Padilla of Calamba city.

The protesters chanted "Oust Arroyo" as she was about to begin a speech at the city hall to launch activities linked to next week's International Woman's Day, said Brig. Gen. Romeo Prestoza, head of her bodyguards.

"She noticed the commotion, but she did not hear what they were shouting," he told reporters. "The hecklers were a bit far from the stage,"

Arroyo has brushed off mounting street protests demanding her resignation over corruption allegations surrounding her husband and a political ally.

Prestoza said Arroyo's public appearances would not be curtailed or revised due to the heckling.

"What is important is that the president was not hurt," he said. "This is a non-issue."*AFP

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