MANILA, Philippines – President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo has declared martial law in Maguindanao, a senior Malacañang official announced Saturday.
Arroyo issued the proclamation days after at least 57 people, including women and dozens of journalists, were killed November 23 in what has been considered as the worst pre-election violence in the country.
The Ampatuans, a powerful clan in the province, have been tagged as suspects and the crackdown on members of the family began with the arrest, detention, and indictment for 25 counts of murder of Datu Unsay Mayor Andal Ampatuan Jr.
The declaration was prompted by reports of “armed groups in the province of Maguindanao” establishing positions “to resist government troops, thereby depriving the Executive of its powers and prerogatives to enforce the laws of the land and to maintain public order and safety” and of the “deteriorating condition of peace and order to the extent that the local judicial system and other government mechanisms in the province are not functioning, thus endangering public safety,” said Ermita, reading from the proclamation.
In justifying Arroyo’s decision, Ermita quoted Section 18, Article 7 of the Constitution, that, “ [The President] in case of invasion or rebellion, when the public safety requires it, he [or she] may, for a period not exceeding sixty days, suspend the privilege of the writ of habeas corpus or place the Philippines or any part thereof under martial law.”
The “elements of rebellion are present, hence the basis for the proclamation of martial law” in Maguindanao, said Ermita.
He also said that government forces would be in full control to preserve peace and order in the province and arrest the perpetrators of the massacre and those plotting violence.
“Wherever they are, they will be arrested,” Ermita said.
Ermita said the decision to declare martial law was reached at about 9 p.m. Friday.
He said Malacanang would officially inform Congress about the proclamation, which Congress has 48 hours to act on.
Press Secretary Cerge Remonde said the President took the "bold step" in answer to the cries for justice of the victims’ kin.
Arroyo named Lieutenant General Raymundo Ferrer to take administrative control of Maguindanao province.
Also present at the Palace briefing was Armed Forces of the Philippines Chief Victor Ibrado who said that they recommended the declaration of martial law following a meeting of top security officials late Friday.
“Based on the reports we received, there were a lot of groupings of armed groups in different places. We also received reports that they have plans to undertake hostile action if ever government officials, the Ampatuans particularly, were taken in custody. We felt this was very imminent threat, that's why we recommended this proclamation,” he said in a briefing in Malacañang.
He said armed groups, numbering 40, 100, 300, and 400 and spread out in the province, planned to prevent the arrests of the Ampatuans.
“They are large forces that could really undertake violent action against anybody in the province, so by their sheer number, they are a threat to the peace and order in the province,” Ibrado added.
“The threat is as serious as the barbaric massacre,” said Philippine National Police chief Jesus Versoza. “The armed groups are sighted at different places in Maguindanao.”
Earlier on Saturday, Maguindanao Governor Andal Ampatuan Sr. was arrested by the military.
On Friday, authorities uncovered a cache of firearms near the house of the Ampatuan clan.
Interior and Local Government Secretary Ronaldo Puno confirmed placing Maguindanao under martial law was discussed in a National Security meeting Friday afternoon but said he was not aware if any action had been done to implement it “because I’m no longer there!”
“But there was no decision made,” Puno said in a telephone interview Friday night.
“Ask Bert Gonzales,” Puno said, referring the Inquirer to Defense Secretary Norberto Gonzales on whether Maguindanao had been already placed under military rule.
Presidential legal counsel Raul Gonzalez and Remonde also confirmed martial law was discussed during the meeting.
Only last week, President Arroyo ordered Puno to take over the administration of the ARMM, with authority to suspend members of the influential Ampatuan family.
Puno said his “supervisory control” over ARMM was applicable only “under normal condition.”
Puno maintained he did not know Maguindanao had been placed under martial rule.
“I don’t know about that, unless they have done something that I don’t know,” he said.
The military Friday expressed surprise at how powerful weapons and thousands of bullets supposed to be kept in the government armory ended up virtually in the backyard of the Ampatuan clan.
Wearing bulletproof vests, soldiers and police the other day dug up antitank weapons, assault rifles and machine guns from a vacant lot a few hundred meters from one of the houses of the Ampatuan family – a known political ally of President Arroyo – in Shariff Aguak.
Some of the firearms and the boxes of ammunition bore the markings of “Department of National Defense Arsenal,” “PNP [Philippine National Police] Camp Crame,” police said.
Senator Rodolfo Biazon, former AFP chief of staff, said he was “aghast” at the find and said he would ask for a Senate investigation next week on who was responsible for giving such a huge arms cache presumably to the Ampatuans.
“Only the military can have this weapon,” he insisted in a phone interview. “Nobody can possess them, except for the military and the police, once in a while.”
Verzosa was taken aback on learning that the recovered firearms included two antitank weapons. He said only government forces were allowed to purchase and carry these kinds of weapons.
“We can estimate that these types of weapons could supply a battalion of soldiers,” Verzosa told reporters in Camp Crame.
Armed Forces spokesperson Lieutenant Colonel Romeo Brawner Jr. said the 260 boxes of 5.56-mm ammunition that were dug up were exclusively manufactured by the government arsenal in Bataan for the AFP and the PNP and other uniformed personnel.
The discovery of the weapons and ammunition cache came 10 days after the killings and followed appeals from around the country and from around the world for Arroyo to crack down on the Ampatuans.
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