MANILA, May 6 (Xinhuanet) -- Philippine National Security Adviser Norberto Gozales Thursday revealed an alleged plan by the opposition to discredit the results of the upcoming May 10 polls through the use of propaganda, sabotage and violence.

    Supporters of opposition leader Fernando Poe Jr. were trying to spark civil unrest during Monday's voting aimed at bringing down the government of Philippine President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, conspiring with elements of the armed forces to cause massive and violent disruption to next week's elections, Gozales said at a press conference.

    "The plot consists of a coordinated action plan involving civilian, retired and active military operatives," Gonzales said, adding that the aim was to spark civil unrest similar to rioting by millions of supporters of deposed Joseph Estrada in 2001.

    Conceived as a nationwide strike, the plot aims to paralyze thebusiness sector and convince the majority of the military and the police, and eventually, the international community, to recognize the opposition candidate as the legitimate president even in the event of an electoral defeat, he added.

    Another component of the plan is a bombing or a series of bombings of still unidentified target areas, Gonzales said.

    Likewise, he said the opposition also plans to put up a united front against the "unpopular leadership" of Arroyo in the event that she wins the polls until an opposition presidency are recognized.

    Gonzales appealed to the Filipino people to come out and vote and to protect the ballot, saying a naked power grab can only be stopped by a people's united vigilance.

    However, a spokesman for Poe, Mike Romero, rejected the allegations as "uncalled for and unfair."

    Earlier, The Philippine presidential palace Thursday asked a group of retired military and police generals to stay away from partisan politics after some of its members accused the Arroyo administration of planning to cheat in the coming elections.

    "We welcome the efforts and participation of retired police andmilitary generals in the fight against electoral frauds... but we have to remind them not to play into partisan designs to discredit the polls," Presidential Spokesman Ignacio Bunye said in a statement.

    Meanwhile, an independent monitoring group that helped expose massive poll rigging by late former Philippine president FerdinandMarcos two decades ago said it had mobilized 300,000 volunteers for next week's vote.

    According to an independent voter opinion poll conducted on April 26-29, Philippine President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo has widened her lead over main opposition rival Fernando Poe Jr. days before the nation votes in the presidential elections with a 37- percent supporting vote compared to Poe's 31 percent.

    The Philippine security forces have sent thousands of reinforcements to Manila and gone on high alert across the countryas officials cite concerns that militants may be planning attacks to disrupt the polls. Enditem