In the latest people power demonstration in the Philippines, the government was able to organize a rally that seriously dwarfed the opposition rally this past Monday.

MANILA — Matching masses against masses, supporters of President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo held their own “people power” rally on Saturday to counter suggestions that all Filipinos want her to quit over allegations of vote rigging.

Supporters of President Arroyo attended a prayer rally at the Rizal Park in Manila Saturday where they called for peace, unity and resolution of the country’s political turmoil.

Metro Manila Development Authority (MMDA) Chairman Bayani Fernando estimated the crowd that joined the rally at 150,000 to 200,000 but the police’s estimate was 120,000 at its peak at 5:30 p.m., which was below the 200,000 target of the organizers.

The prayer rally began before 4 p.m. Saturday and ended at 6 p.m.

Manila Mayor Jose “Lito” Atienza, one of the organizers of the rally, said they appeal to the people, particularly to the President’s detractors, to allow the Constitution and rule of law to prevail.

Atienza said the massive crowd that attended the rally billed as “A Gathering for Peace, Unity and For The Rule of Law” showed that many people oppose street protests, militant junta and unconstitutional means to change the Arroyo government.

“The economy of a mature democracy must not be sacrificed due to political conflict. We call on the people to unite and pray together to save the nation,” he said.

He said the President should be given a chance to defend herself and refute the allegations of election fraud against her in the proper venue. He also said Arroyo should be allowed to continue to carry out her mission pending the Constitutional resolution of her case.

Nevertheless, the crowd was at least double the size of an opposition rally Wednesday. That could give Arroyo the boost she needs to survive the political crisis that erupted six weeks ago when it was revealed she talked to an election official before the final results were announced in last year’s presidential ballot.

Usually I try to analyze the situation outright, but really, it’s pretty simple. The opposition has been making big protests against President Arroyo because of recordings of her phone coversations with an election official. These tapes are widely available on the internet now, and apparently show that she committed election fraud. At many points, it has looked like Arroyo would be completely abandoned by her entire political base, but she has managed to hold on by a thread. Now, the government is organizing rallies in favor of her. That’s about it. And seriously, for once, the rallies are getting kind of annoying.

As far as I can tell, the Philippines has a constitution that provides a legal means by which to impeach the president in a case such as this. That’s what the government was asking for in its rally, but of course the real effect is a show of power similar to what the opposition hoped to achieve in its own protests. All I can say is that I hope this is the last one.

The most important thing that can happen is for the government to resolve the crisis constitutionally. Arroyo be damned or Arroyo be saved. If she is found guilty through the constitutional means, then the opposition will have a legitimate victory. But if they unseat her solely through protests alone and take over the government, it in effect makes the whole constitution look like something that can be trampled over. So stop the protests and start the proceedings already.