Security is tight in the Philippines as recently re-elected President Gloria Arroyo prepares to deliver the annual state-of-the-nation address. Police in Manila said they were expecting 20,000 people to join demonstrations. They said 6,000 officers backed by the military would guard Congress. Mrs Arroyo's main rival in presidential elections last May, Fernando Poe, has demanded a recount, and his supporters have threatened street protests.
The Philippines' participation in the war in Iraq and government policies have angered anti-war and anti-globalisation campaigners. Army chiefs have also warned that Islamist rebels in the country's south remain a threat despite government attempts to quash them. "Let us all be calm and have a successful [state of the nation address]," Metropolitan Manila police director Ricardo De Leon said on local radio. "We're there to protect everybody. We guarantee we will respect your rights, but as law enforcers we will prevent any forms of abuse."
Commentators say that in her speech Mrs Arroyo may play on her recent decision to pull troops out of Iraq early in response to a hostage crisis to illustrate a "Filipino First" theme. But they caution that she must balance that with the need to restore strained relations with the US - provider of large amounts of military aid.
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