overreaction

It has been said that the President was overreacting when she declared a state of national emergency. True, Proclamation 1017 appears draconian at first glance, but take a good look at it and all you'll see is just a statement saying that there is a national emergency. I believe that the negative reaction it received from various sector was due to its perceived similarity to a declaration of martial law. The warrantless arrests, the raid on the Daily Tribune, and the dispersal of rallies on the 20th anniversary of the first People Power revolt were all too reminiscent of the bad old days under Marcos. As with the previous issues which have turned our country into a political morass, perception metamorphosed into fact, and the declaration of a state of emergency became a declaration of emergency rule in the eyes of some: a return to dictatorial rule in the guise of PP1017.

But again, take a closer look at the circumstances. The alleged coup was planned to coincide with the rallies, with the soldiers marching with the rallyists to declare their withdrawal of support from the government. If a firefight erupted between loyal soldiers and the rebels, thousands could have been caught in the crossfire. Therefore, the ban on and dispersal of the rallies could have been ordered by the president in order to safeguard the lives of innocent civilians.
The raid on the offices of the Daily Tribune has earned the ire of journalists from all over. This was perceived as an attack on press freedom, and the suppression of the right of free expression. But, looking into the Tribune, one may notice an obvious bias in the wording of the news reports. Journalists should present facts in their reports; unbiased, uneditorialized facts. The biased reports could have been interpreted by the readers as fact, thus causing confusion and spreading disinformation. Freedom of the press does not entail the freedom to mislead the public through sensationalism, misinformation, or outright disinformation. If I were the President I would have shut the paper down entirely, but I am not the President, and she has refrained from doing this extreme action. In fact, the Tribune is still in circulation, biased stories and all.
The warrantless arrests of certain people has sparked cries of human rights violations, with images of the torture and abuse experienced by those picked up by the police during martial law. However, these warrantless arrests were within the law. Why? Those arrested were charged with rebellion, which is considered a "continuing crime". This precludes the requirement of a warrant, since a person charged with rebellion is considered as in the process of committing the crime. The others who were arrested during the rallies at EDSA, like Prof. Randy David, were arrested because their permit to rally had been revoked with Proclamation 1017.

So, who has overreacted?

The opposition has cried bloody murder over the suppression of rights by Proclamation 1017, a declaration of a state of emergency. Habeas corpus was not suspended, the President did not receive any emergency powers, there was no declaration of martial law; it was just a statement saying that there was an emergency.
The media has condemned Proclamation 1017 as an attack on the freedom of the press, saying that the government has muzzled the press and has stifled the expression of dissent. If this is true, why has the Tribune continued its circulation? Why has ANC continued to present editorialized news reports? Why is Conrado de Quiros of the Philippine Daily Inquirer able to criticize the President and call for her immediate ouster? Why have we been able to debate upon or even discuss the issue of Proclamation 1017 in the newspapers, on TV, in the Internet, and on the radio if its goal was to muzzle the press? Is this not a manifestation of the freedom of the press?

What is there to fear from Proclamation 1017? Nothing, unless you are its real target. The target of PP1017 is neither the press nor the public, but those who would rather see the Republic of the Philippines in ashes, albeit under their rule. These people have every reason to fear the crackdown, as this would spell the end of their selfish quest for power. They are the ones overreacting to the strong response of the government, using every trick in the book to muddle the issue and confuse the populace so that they can protect their own hides.

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President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo lifted the state of emergency at around 11:30 this morning.
(More here.)