President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo has officially placed Maguindanao province under a state of martial law, Executive Secretary Eduardo Ermita said Saturday.
"We are confident that this one is covered by the Constitution," said Ermita at a press briefing at the Palace.
The announcement was made days after hundreds of government troops were sent to the province, which would later raid armories of the powerful Ampatuan clan.
The Ampatuan family was implicated in a gruesome massacre two weeks ago that saw the murder of 57 persons, including women members of the rival Mangudadatu clan, human rights lawyers, and 31 media workers, in the worst incident of political violence in the nation's history. It has also been condemned world-wide as the worst loss of life of media professionals in one day in the history of journalism.
Reports received late Friday night said that the President had already issued an order imposing military rule in the province. However, when contacted by GMANews.TV, Press Secretary Cerge Remonde, denied the rumors. Presidential Adviser for Mindanao Affairs Jesus Dureza also said that he had no information.
Armed Forces Eastern Mindanao commander, Lt. Gen. Raymundo Ferrer, will function as military governor after the arrest of Maguindanao governor Andal Ampatuan Sr., the same report said.
However, the report failed to identify its sources. Ermita's announcement Saturday confirmed the first declaration of martial law in the Philippines since 1972 when then-president Ferdinand Marcos imposed martial law over the entire country
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