No To Proclamation 1017 February 24, 2005 It is ironic that as we commemorated the 20th anniversary of the People Power Revolt that ended the tyranny of Ferdinand Marcos, the usurper at Malacanang chose to declare a state of national emergency. Proclamation 1017 of Gloria Macapagal Arroyo bears striking resemblance to Proclamation 1081 which placed the entire nation in martial law in 1972. While the guidelines that will explain the scope and extent of Proclamation 1017 is yet to be issued by Malacanang we in the human rights community feel there is reason to fear the ominous timing and political context in which the proclamation came into being. Even before yesterday's declaration the Arroyo administration has already been clamping down on legitimate dissent. The defeat of the impeachment proceedings in Congress and the growing protest actions calling for Mrs. Arroyo's ouster from office has led to the implementation of the calibrated preemptive response policy and EO 464 both of which are aimed at suppressing the constitutionally guaranteed right to freedom of expression and assembly. Now, with the issuance of Proclamation 1017 our country is put in a state of "de facto" martial rule where force, violence, and deceit are supreme. It is an unconstitutional and illegal proclamation since Section 18, Article VII of the Constitution only provides for the declaration of martial law and not of a state of national emergency. Arroyo knew only too well that an outright declaration of martial law will mean a congressional approval and may court further opposition. To avoid these "inconveniences" Arroyo managed to twist the legal system and avoid the necessary congressional approval by giving it a new name. And the similarity between Arroyo's proclamation 1017 and Marcos's Proclamation 1081 is quite uncanny. Both Presidents have declared both proclamations under the pretext of a threat against the Republic - for Marcos it was the growing communist threat, while Arroyo it is both the communist and rightist threat. Both of them also cited incidents to prove that a threat exists - Marcos cited the ambush of then Defense Minister Sen. Juan Ponce Enrile, while Arroyo is citing the coup threat allegedly led by Brigadier General Danilo Lim. And now like Marcos before her Arroyo is using Proclamation 1017 to perpetuate her hold to power. The government is saying that the people have nothing to fear from the Proclamation 1017 and that its issuance is will not mean a curtailment of civil and political rights. But as of midnight the offices of the Daily Tribune has been raided and there are now charges being filed against Laban ng Masa Chairperson and former UP President Ka Dodong Nemenzo. Just yesterday rallyist were violently dispersed and arbitrarily arrested by intelligence operatives wearing plainclothes similar to the situation during martial law. We call on the people to be more vigilant, and act against any form of tyranny and oppression. Never again should we let our freedoms be taken from us. Our salvation and liberation lies in our own hands. There is no other recourse but to stand our ground and face the challenges. When the acts of the state close all peaceful avenues for meaningful change, the people have no recourse but to exercise their right to rebel provided for in the preamble of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.. Philippine Alliance of Human Rights Advocates (PAHRA)
