It saddens me that one after-effect of the brutal murders in Maguindanao would be the imposition of Martial Law in the province. For one, a lot of Filipinos feel uncomfortable hearing the term "martial law", let alone seeing that it has been declared. Also, it makes one wonder if indeed the situation has deteriorated into such an extent that a rebellion is imminent. That is at least what the government said in a press conference, although I do find the reasons and evidence they gave to be not too convincing.
What really bugs me though is that some elements of the military in the province are also being implicated as having connections to the perpetrators of the crime. If so, wouldn't it be counterproductive to give these very same individuals MORE power? Wouldn't "normal" police and military procedures be enough to ensure that chaos will not ensue?
On the other hand, the declaration of martial law is a guarantee by the constitution (the People Power Constitution, no less) to ensure that situations like these would not deteriorate rapidly into chaos and anarchy. I also take comfort in the fact that freedom and movement of the press is not being hindered under the declaration.
Here's hoping that martial law in Maguindanao wouldn't last for so long, and that whoever was responsible for the massacre be brought to justice. Let's hope that the people who died on that terrible night would not have died in vain.
2 comments:
I'm a bit torn also about GMA declaring martial law. We can only hope and pray for the best.
Same here. I always thought of martial law as a "last option" when all else fails. I'm just wondering if the government has exhausted every option they had before deciding to implement it.
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