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State of emergency in Philippines

Former president leads march, repeats call for Aquino to quit

From Hugh Riminton
CNN

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MANILA, Philippines (CNN) -- Philippines President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo declared a state of emergency after security forces thwarted what they said was a plot to overthrow her.

Clashes erupted as riot police used water cannon to disperse thousands of protesters defying a ban on rallying at a shrine to the 1986 "people power" uprising that toppled dictator Ferdinand Marcos, The Associated Press reported.

Police used truncheons and shields to break up a stone-throwing group trying to gather for a second protest. Several people were arrested, while others were bloodied, AP said.

Several hours later, former President Corazon Aquino led a peaceful march of about 5,000 people and repeated calls for Arroyo to step down.

Arroyo issued her emergency declaration Friday during a television address in which she called for calm and said the Cabinet was firmly behind her.

"I am declaring a state of emergency because of the clear threat to the nation," Arroyo said in the taped statement.

"This is my warning against those who threaten the government: the whole weight of the law will fall on your treason."

She said the military had quashed a coup plot by some military officers and their men.

"There were a few who tried to break from the armed forces chain of command, to fight the civilian government and establish a regime outside the constitution," The Associated Press quoted Arroyo as saying. "We crushed this attempt."

Brig. Gen. Danila Lim, head of the elite scout rangers, was arrested in connection with the alleged plot, and Marine Col. Ariel Queribin was being sought.

Queribin later turned up on Philippine TV saying he knew nothing of a coup plot and was not on the run.

Lt. Gen. Hermogenes Esperon said the two officers led a group of soldiers who had planned to take advantage of civilian protests against Arroyo on Friday to overthrow her.

The Philippine stock market and the peso both plunged Friday.

The purported coup coincided with demonstrations marking the 20th anniversary of the "people power" revolution that toppled Marcos. (Full story)

Massive protests in February 1986 ended Marcos' rule and brought Aquino to power after both candidates claimed victory in a disputed presidential election.

Aquino entered the race after the 1983 assassination of her husband, Benigno Aquino, a popular opposition senator who was gunned down at Manila's airport as he returned from exile in the United States.

Noting the growing unrest, Aquino said Friday that Arroyo should make the "supreme sacrifice" and step down.

"We want to remember what we did 20 years ago, and we want to make sure that we will never have to lose that democracy again," Aquino said, noting that anti-riot squads were preventing people from assembling for peaceful rallies.

"It's a little bit difficult to understand now why there is an emergency act that is needed."

Aquino and about 5,000 people were later allowed to march peacefully to a memorial to her late husband.

Coup rumors have swirled in the Philippines in recent weeks amid widespread calls for Arroyo to resign over questions about the legitimacy of her 2004 re-election.

During the vote count, Arroyo was tape-recorded talking to a senior election official, which opposition leaders say is evidence she manipulated the outcome.

The president has denied any wrongdoing, and the Philippines' Congress threw out impeachment charges against her in September after her allies in the House of Representatives used a technicality to block the complaints. But calls for her to quit have continued.

Extra barbed wire and shipping containers were set up on roads leading to Malacanang, the presidential palace, and checkpoints have appeared around the capital, The Associated Press reported.

Media have been barred from the main military headquarters, Camp Aguinaldo.

Analysts have said the 1986 uprising, and another against President Joseph Estrada in 2001, have done little to strengthen the economy, overhaul a political system of personality and patronage, or improve the lives of tens of millions of poor Filipinos. (Full story)

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