President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo will not hesitate to place the Philippines under a state of emergency if her enemies move to unseat her using violence, the Malacanang presidential palace warned on Saturday. The warning came as the Philippines prepares to mark on Monday the 23rd anniversary of the first People Power Revolt which drove the dictator Ferdinand Marcos from power. On February 24, 2006, a day after the commemoration of that landmark event, Arroyo issued Proclamation 1017 declaring a state of emergency as her government discovered plans by renegade military officers and soldiers to join a mass movement with the aim of toppling her presidency. She then called on the military “to maintain law and order throughout the Philippines, prevent or suppress all forms of lawless violence as well as any act of insurrection or rebellion.” Hours after the state of emergency was declared, government forces detained without charge several suspected dissidents, raided and closed a pro-opposition paper, and deployed agents to two television stations. Executive Secretary Eduardo Ermita said on Saturday that Arroyo has no regrets in issuing that proclamation, adding that the President would readily take the heat again and issue the same proclamation if faced with a similar danger from power-hungry forces. Ermita said the President has the prerogative to employ weapons in her arsenal as provided by the Constitution to neutralize any plot to oust her and seize power. He cited the ruling of the Supreme Court that upheld Arroyo's emergency order to forestall a coup attempt by political enemies, communists, and rogue soldiers in the days leading to the 20th anniversary of Edsa 1 in 2006. “Definitely, no regrets whatsoever. The Constitution provides for the actions that a President can do when faced by such situation,” said Ermita, a retired military general. He brushed aside criticisms that the state of emergency was a revival of Marcos-era martial law. Asked if Arryo will issue the same emergency proclamation if she faces similar coup threats, Ermita said: “The President will go by what is provided for under the Constitution.” Arroyo's emergency declaration in 2006 was spurred by mounting street protests over allegations of election fraud and corruption by her government. The opposition groups accused her of overreacting to justify a crackdown on her political opponents, including the media.
