Martial Law in Maguindanao
Barely 2 weeks after the bloody Maguindanao massacre and not much done (by the government) to resolve the killing of 64 people including 30 journalist, President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo decided to declare Martial Law in the province of Maguindanao.
Yes you heard it right, by virtue of Proclamation No. 1946 read this morning by Executive Secretary Eduardo Ermita, the president is placing the province of Maguindanao, Sultan Kudarat and Cotobato City except for the identified areas of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front. The reason mentioned for the action was for the purpose of preventing and suppressing lawless violence in the aforesaid areas.
As expected, this action earned negative and positive reactions, critics of the current administration cried foul on the president’s action while those loyal to the president praised the what they called as “decisive” action.
Although the constitution provides that the congress (voting as one body) may revoke via majority vote the president’s declaration of martial law, I know for sure that they will vote otherwise. With 23 Senators and 269 Representatives, where majority of the house belongs to the administration party, no doubt that the vote will go the president’s way.
If you will ask me, I see no reason why the president has to declare martial law in Maguindanao, Sultan Kudarat and Cotobato City. If they really want to prevent ‘lawless violence’ in the area, the could have done that years ago. If only they have the political will to dismantle the private armies of the war lords in the area, this violence could have been prevented.
What the government is doing now is ‘flexing’ it’s muscle to show to the international community that they are doing something. But let us not forget the real issue here, it’s the killing of innocent people and the continuance of the political violence.
Judging from what the military had ceased so far, it seems that they’ve supplied the Ampatuans with arms, who’s gonna be held liable for that? Does this justify what the Magdalo group claimed when they took over Oakwood Hotel in 2003?
