ANGELES CITY - Members of various non-government organizations involved in the cleanup of the former Clark Air Base here and Mt. Pinatubo eruption victims turned the other day at the US Embassy like no ordinary carolers.

They bought guitars, a dead tree with toxic adornments for Christmas tree and lanterns with hazardous labels.

They also unabashedly changed the lyrics of "Jingle Bells" which goes: Toxic waste, toxic waste, toxic all the way/It's not fine for us to ride in this one whole toxic mess/Hey!

Lyrics of the Christmas songs "Deck the Halls", and "Feliz Navidad" were also changed with protest words.

Saul Bloom, executive director of Arc Ecology, said the group staged the caroling-picket since the "initial efforts made by the Philippine and U.S. governments to address the toxic contamination problem are not enough to assure the people that concrete measures are being done to cleanup the former military bases."

Councilor Susan Pineda said no embassy officials met the group. She said an American came out to talk with the security force. She said the American hurriedly left when she tried to give him a toxic lantern.

Outside the embassy, the caroler-protesters hanged a big streamer that read, "Polluters must pay."

Myrla Baldonado of the People's Task Force for Bases Cleanup said most carolers came all the way from the Cabcom evacuation center inside the base who are seeking remedial actions on their health.