Manila - Thousands of protestors took to the streets in the Philippines Monday ahead of President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo's annual speech to Congress.

The protestors, undeterred by rain and tight security, marched near the Batasan Pambansa Complex in Quezon City in metropolitan Manila, where Arroyo was to deliver her state of the nation speech later in the day.

They carried placards that read, "Raise wages," "Oust Gloria" and "Gloria resign."

In front of the protestors, a float carried an effigy of Arroyo riding a plane while behind her, a ship was sinking with thousands of hands pleading for her help.

Thousands of police and soldiers were deployed in key areas around Manila to guard against any outbreak of violence or hostilities during the protests.

A portion of the main road leading to the Batasan Pambansa Complex was closed to traffic hours before Arroyo's speech.

Manila police chief Geary Barias said 3,000 policemen were deployed in and around the sprawling complex alone.

"I assure you that these policemen will exercise maximum tolerance," he said. "They have undergone a two-day seminar conducted by the Commission on Human Rights."

A survey conducted a week earlier showed that 40 per cent of Filipinos did not expect Arroyo to tell the truth about the true state of the nation in her annual address. (dpa)