Philippines state of emergency
Herbert
Docena writes: Yesterday morning, President Gloria
Macapagal-Arroyo declared an indefinite "state of national
emergency" in the Philippines. Issued on the very week when
Filipinos were celebrating the 20th anniversary of the "People
Power" uprising which ended Ferdinand Marcos' 14-year
dictatorship, Arroyo's order authorizes the police and the military
the power to do everything necessary to neutralize "enemies"
of the state, bans all protest rallies, and threatens to take over
media outlets. Effectively placing the country under martial law,
Arroyo has restored what Filipinos ended twenty years ago.
About
10,000 of us defied the President's order and marched on Manila's
busiest highway. We were violently dispersed. Twenty-six of us,
including minors who were beaten up by the police, were arrested.
