Despite political unrest, life hasn't changed much for Filipinos
MANILA, Philippines --On the day the president imposed a state of emergency, the biggest crowd in the Philippine capital wasn't protesting in the streets. Instead, more than 15,000 people packed an arena to watch world wrestling heroes slug it out in the ring.
The U.S. wrestlers got a more rapturous reception than former President Corazon Aquino, an icon of democracy who defied a ban on rallies and led anti-government marchers in Manila's financial district.
The wrestlers "were asked to stay in groups and when possible remain in their hotel rooms because of the chaos and potential for violence," WWE said on its Web site. All left the country safely, it said.
Cena, of West Newbury, Massachusetts, is known for fighting maneuvers called the "Six Moves of Doom," as well as a signature taunt in which he waves one hand in front of his face and tells his opponent: "You can't see me."
Another wrestler who braved the Philippines' political upheaval to fight at Manila's Araneta Coliseum was Paul Michael Levesque of Nashua, N.H., also known as the Cerebral Assassin. He likes to dispatch his foes with moves such as the Indian deathlock and the Spinebuster.
---
Demonstrators who turned out for recent protests to call for the resignation of the president wore T-shirts and waved banners with assorted political slogans. The rallies also seemed an opportunity to express individuality.
"Sorry boys... I'm taken," read a slogan in English on a shirt worn by one demonstrator at a shrine to "people power" on a major highway. Outside an army base where disgruntled Marines engaged in a brief standoff on Sunday night, a man in the crowd wore a shirt that said: "Let me drop everything to work on your problem."
Riot police have a counter-slogan, a sticker reading "Be Not Afraid" that adorns some of their shields and headgear, including bright blue, plastic construction helmets.
---
One of the political figures who showed up at the gates of an army camp amid rumors of a coup attempt was Imee Marcos, eldest daughter of the dictator ousted in 1986 and former First Lady Imelda. An elegant figure in makeup and styled hair, Imee discussed the political turmoil in her country and said the president, Arroyo, should resign.
A foreign correspondent leaned over his notepad in the darkness as he interviewed her, and drops of sweat slid off his forehead and splashed onto her bare forearm. The correspondent laughed and brushed the moisture off her arm with his fingers before resuming his questions.
If Imee felt uncomfortable, she didn't show it.
---
The state of emergency has had little impact on most Filipinos' daily lives. Some of the busiest places on Sunday were Roman Catholic churches, filled with worshippers, and off-track betting parlors. A fighting cock, another popular source of betting, strutted in a cage on a street near Manila Bay.
The city's nightlife is immune to political turmoil. A hostess in a nightclub said her goal was to get a visa for the U.S. territory of Saipan so she could get better pay in the bars there. The hostess, who said her name was Ivy, worked for two years in Uijongbu, a South Korean city near the border with North Korea that hosts a bar district servicing a U.S military garrison.
