About 100 members of a newly-formed group called the Affirmative Action for Good Governance gathered at the Quezon Park in Dumaguete City yesterday, to stage a rally against the constituent assembly, which they believe was one of the highlights of the President’s State of the Nation Address.

William Ablong, one of its organizers, said the group was created exclusively to fight the ConAss. Ablong, who is the Dumaguete agriculturist, however, said he could not join the rally because he is in office.

The group that gathered at the Quezon Park starting at 2 p.m. are mostly members of non-government and people's organizations such as Bayan, said lawyer Whelma Yap, Aagogo convenor.

Bayan pushed for the scrapping of the Charter change moves allegedly concocted by allies of President Gloria Arroyo, and urged her to step down.

Also participating in the rally were members of farmers group KAUGMAON-Negros Oriental. They sought a stop to various human rights abuses and extra-judicial killings in the province and country, among others.

The killing of KAUGMAON provincial chairman, Fermin Lorico, on June 10 right after the anti-Cha-cha rally, is yet unresolved.

"We have members in the schools but they said that instead of joining this rally, they would rather stage their own information drive in their respective campuses," Yap said.

She said the rally lasted until 3 p.m.

However, she said she has no intention of watching the live telecast of the SONA at 4 p.m. "I'll just catch up with the replay," she said.*AP

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