The lifting of Proclamation 1959 placing the province of Maguindanao under Martial Law comes in the wake of serious legal and factual loopholes being raised by various sectors opposed to the declaration of martial law. The declaration is patently defective and unnecessary and carries with it an agenda that can be used to keep Mrs. Arroyo in power beyond 2010. Even before its lifting, Proclamation 1959 could not stand the serious challenges hurled against it by legal luminaries, lawmakers, activists and various concerned citizens and sectors. Malacanang could not go on justifying a fabricated "rebellion".
Despite the lifting, we urge the Supreme Court to rule on the petitions filed by various groups because of the serious questions on the factual bases of the declaration. We hope the Supreme Court will rule in favor of the petitioners, as it did when it struck down PP 1017 which placed the entire country under a state of national emergency in 2006.
We call on the Filipino people to remain ever vigilant and to oppose the use of martial law in the near future, especially as the elections approaches. Having done it once on questionable grounds, the threat is there that Arroyo can do it again in the future. The temptation may be too hard for her to resist, especially when her hold on power is on the line.
We will continue to fight for justice for the victims of the Ampatuan massacre. We demand accountability from the government that has sponsored, funded and coddled local warlords for the longest time. We demand accountability from the police and military officials who have provided weapons for these warlords. To this day, not one police, military or defense official has been charged for the illegal transfer of weapons and ammunition to the Ampatuans.
We will continue to hold the Arroyo government accountable for the climate of impunity that has resulted in the deaths of hundreds of activists, journalists, lawyers, church people, farmers and workers over the past nine years. ###
from: www.bayan.ph
