Philippine President Gloria Arroyo has placed Maguindanao under a state of martial rule and authorities quickly arrested the patriarch of a powerful political clan linked to the brutal slayings of 57 people in the southern province.
In a press conference in Manila on Saturday, Executive Secretary Eduardo Ermita said the martial rule in Maguindanao will allow authorities to arrest without warrants all those implicated in the killings and bring order in the province.
-Mindanao Examiner
“Proclamation No. 1959 is totally uncalled for,” Anakpawis secretary-general Cherry Clemente said, adding that it may be the start of Arroyo’s attempt to cling to power as her term approaches its end in June 2010.
-Bulatlat
