Arroyo Declares Martial Law in Maguindanao

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

Massacre in the Philippines

In case any of you didn't know why CIA and US military involvement was bad for democracy in a region, just look at recent events in the Philippines, where US special forces have been training local troops and private militias in "counter-insurgency" for the past 7 years. In late November, a Mayor in Maguindanao brutally massacred 57 people over an election campaign before it had even officially started.

Electoral violence in an underdeveloped region may not be news, but the brutal nature of the massacre and who the victims were shows the level of perceived impunity with which local politicians feel entitled to in this region, largely because they know that US special forces are "training" in their area. Knowing that muslim insurgents/terrorists/bandits can always be blamed, warlord politicians don't even need to be physically protected by the green berets and "civilian contractors", because they know that as long as they're delivering votes to the puppet regime in Manila, the wheels of justice will be greased in their favor.