Arroyo declares state of emergency Feb 24, 2006
Updated 11:24am (Mla time)
Gil Cabacungan Lira Dalangin-Fernandez ldalangin@inq7.net
INQ7.net Inquirer Agence France-Presse (4th UPDATE) PRESIDENT Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo declared a state of national emergency Friday and warned those planning to grab power that their betrayal will be dealt with under the full force of the law. All protests were banned after Arroyo issued the proclamation directing the armed forces to stop the efforts of a "tactical alliance" between right-wing and communist forces to "create an unconstitutional regime." She ordered the arrest of military officers and civilians allegedly involved in a new plot to overthrow her government. Arroyo's declaration is contained in Proclamation 1017, which she signed after a lengthy meeting with Cabinet members and police and military officials in Malacañang, Press Secretary Ignacio Bunye said. "This is my warning to those who plan to grab power, your betrayal will be dealt with under the full force of the law," Arroyo said in her statement aired live on radio and television. Arroyo declared a state of emergency hours after the military thwarted a plot to oust her. Officials said rebel military officers were planning to call for the President’s ouster at rallies Friday marking the 20th anniversary of the 1986 "People Power" revolution in the strife-torn Southeast Asian nation. Arroyo said she had ordered the arrest of personalities involved in the plot, including their financiers. A military statement said Brigadier General Danilo Lim, the commander of the Philippine army's elite Scout Rangers, had been taken into custody along with Chief Superintendent Marcelino Franco, head of the national police Special Action Force, whose rank is equivalent to brigadier-general. Lim had been involved in a bloody 1989 coup attempt against former president Corazon Aquino but was promoted after he and other rebel officers were pardoned as part of efforts to heal divisions in the 120,000-strong armed forces. Arroyo said civilians were involved in the alleged plot and "we will not overlook those who have been providing support and money to this effort." "We will not allow the financiers and political supporters of this rebellion to get away," she said. An unspecified number of other people also were taken into custody, and police were seeking eight to 10 more, said Presidential Chief of Staff Michael Defensor. "The government has crushed this illegal action," Arroyo said in a televised address, calling for calm as armed troops sealed off the presidential palace and military camps in the city. In the declaration released to media at 11:20 a.m., Arroyo invoked Section 18, Article 7 of the Constitution that allowed the President to call on the armed forces to prevent or suppress rebellion. The proclamation will also pave the way for warrantless arrests, government takeover of utilities, including media, and a ban on rallies, Defensor said. Arroyo noted, "Claims of these elements had been recklessly magnified by certain segments of the national media.” In her one-page emergency proclamation, Arroyo said communist guerrillas and right-wing "military adventurists" were "now in a tactical alliance and engaged in a concerted and systematic conspiracy, over a broad front, to bring down the duly constituted government elected in May 2004." She said the series of destabilization efforts were hurting the country “by obstructing governance, including hindering the growth of the economy and sabotaging the people’s confidence in government.” "As commander-in-chief, I control the situation," said Arroyo, who has survived two violent attempts to oust her since she was installed as president after a military mutiny brought down her predecessor Joseph Estrada in 2001. Archbishop of Manila Gaudencio Rosales, recently named cardinal by the Vatican, warned that "it doesn't look good if our government declares a state of emergency" in the country and called for a peaceful dialogue. Lawyers said the Arroyo proclamation was not equivalent to martial law and essentially allowed the President to mobilize the military to crush a rebellion. The normal judicial system remains in place. The latest Philippine crisis overshadowed celebrations of the 20th anniversary of the 1986 military uprising that toppled the late martial-law ruler Ferdinand Marcos and helped inspire pro-democracy movements worldwide. In January 2001, Arroyo, who was then vice president, was sworn in as president after siding with a military revolt against then president Estrada, currently on trial for plunder and perjury. She has been hounded by rumors of military dissatisfaction and her victory in the May 2004 presidential election, giving her a six-year mandate, was tainted by charges of fraud.
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Filipino president Gloria Macapagal Arroyo declared a state of emergency Friday following reports from security forces on a foiled coup attempt. Arroyo's emergency powers allow arrests without warrants and the extended detention of prisoners without charges.

Brigadier General Danilo Lim, the commander of the 1st Scout Ranger Regiment, an elite military unit, is being held following accusations that he intended to join his troops with anti-Arroyo protestors. The troops were reportedly planning to inform protesters that the soldiers were no longer supporting Arroyo hoping that this news would foment an uprising against the president.

Arroyo has forbidden protest rallies, but more than a thousand Filipinos attended rallies anyway ( Bloomberg.com says "thousands of Filipinos"), and police broke up a couple of rallies on Edsa, the main street of Manila, as they were heading downtown (to Makati), with shields and nightsticks. The Filipino peso dropped 1.1% vs. the US dollar, its biggest decline since 2002. 

The crisis comes during the weekend when the country is recognizing the 20th anniversary of the "People Power" revolution that ousted dictator Ferdinand Marcos, who fled and stayed in exile in the United States.

This is not the first time Ms. Arroyo's regime has survived attempts at deletion. At the beginning of her presidency, supporters of the ousted President Estrada stormed Malacanang and demanded Arroyo's resignation. Later, in 2003, 300 soldiers took over a hotel in Manila in another bid to topple Arroyo. People have alleged that the Arroyo administration engaged in corruption and failed to keep the economy stable. Arroyo won the 2004 election, but some people accused her of doing so by cheating. Those allegations led to an attempt to impeach Arroyo in September 2005, which failed.