Critics Challenge Martial Law in Philippines

[Coventina]

Source: New York Times

MANILA — Critics of President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo challenged her declaration of martial law in a southern province, as the government conducted more raids on Monday to battle what it calls an armed rebellion. Mrs. Arroyo’s critics, including legislators and civil libertarians, say she overstepped constitutional bounds when she put Maguindanao Province under martial law Friday.

Maguindanao, the site of a Nov. 23 massacre in which 57 people were killed, is a stronghold of supporters of the Ampatuan family, a powerful political clan linked to the violence. Before putting the province under martial law, Mrs. Arroyo had already declared a state of emergency in Manguindanao and nearby areas on Nov. 24.

Martial law has allowed the military and the police to arrest suspects without warrants and conduct raids on properties. Critics denounced the president, saying that neither of the two constitutional conditions for a martial law declaration — a foreign invasion or a rebellion — had been met.

The military has confiscated more than 1,500 firearms as well as half a million rounds of ammunition since the raids began Saturday, officials said. Maj. Gen. Raymundo Ferrer, the martial law administrator, said Monday that the arms cache was “just the tip of the iceberg.”

Read more: http://www.nytimes.com/2009/12/08/world/asia/08phils.html