(Eagle News) — The numbers continued to swell at the People’s Rally at the Quirino Grandstand in Rizal Park in the Philippine capital of Manila, as more supporters of President Rodrigo Duterte showed up through Saturday night (February 25) until early dawn Sunday (Feb. 26)
From the initial 215,000 estimate of the police, organizers said that the crowd reached 400,000, with some claiming that it had even reached half a million.
The pro-Duterte gathering at the Rizal Park, dubbed as the People’s Rally went well through the night and is still going strong as of early dawn Sunday, February 26 as a program participated in by various pro-Duterte artists, entertained the crowd.
Noted blogger and Duterte supporter Mocha Uson also appeared in the program as she encouraged the pro-Duterte crowd to continue their show of support for the President who was being hit by his political opponents led by Vice-President Leni Robredo and former President Benigno Aquino III.
Both showed up at the People’s Power Monument rally in EDSA which had a smaller crowd.
Government officials and personalities also came to the pro-Duterte People’s Rally. Among them were Justice Secretary Vitaliano Aguirre II, Senator Alan Peter Cayetano, Health Secretary Paulyn Ubial, and Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA) Chairman Martin Dino.
Pro-Duterte rallies and gatherings were also held in various parts of the country, including Davao City, Cebu City, Butuan City, and Maasin City, Southern Leyte.
More Duterte supporters gathered in key points around the world such in the United Kingdom, Canada, Germany, Netherlands, Saudi Arabia, China, Japan, among others, using the hashtag “#UnitedDDS Global Movement Defend Democracy, Protect Duterte.”
More people are expected to join the pro-Duterte People’s Rally today, Sunday, February 26.
Meanwhile, the People Power Monument rally and program in EDSA folded up early as their numbers dwindled to just a few hundreds by 9 p.m. Saturday, February 25.
The rallyists there left the area around 10 p.m. that night.
At the Rizal Park, police said that the People’s Rally program continued even this Sunday morning, but many of the crowd went home to “recharge,” saying they would be back later. As of 7 a.m., police said there were still around 3,000 who stayed on at the pro-Duterte rally.
(Eagle News Service)
