The Philippines police raided the premises of a newspaper critical of President Gloria Arroyo Saturday following her declaration of a state of emergency to quash a coup plot, the Associated Press (AP) has reported. Arroyo set off an uproar with her decree Friday as Filipinos celebrated the 20th anniversary of dictator Ferdinand Marcos' ouster in a "people power" revolt, and even some supporters questioned her move.
PAPER CHASE: A Filipino reads the Daily Tribune at a stand inside the Malacanang presidential compound in Manila on Saturday February 25. Police barged into the offices of the Tribune early Friday and confiscated editorial materials and a bundle of newspapers headlining Philippines President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo's declaration of a state of emergency to quash a coup plot. (AP Photo/Aaron Favila)"I was appalled," said her most crucial ally, former President Fidel Ramos, a military commander whose withdrawal of support for Marcos helped bring about his downfall. Ramos stood by Arroyo at the height of a crisis that nearly unseated her last year.
Like others, he compared the emergency declaration to the martial-law dictates that Marcos used to stay in power. Ramos accused Arroyo of "killing the spirit" brought by democracy protests two decades ago and said the decree seemed unjustified since no coup attempt occurred.
The emergency declaration, also called Presidential Proclamation 1017 (PP 1017), bans rallies, allows arrests without warrants, permits the president to call in the military to intervene and lets her take over facilities – including media outlets – that may affect national security.
Early Saturday, policemen barged into the offices of the Daily Tribune, one of Arroyo's strongest critics. Officers confiscated editorial materials, but it was not clear if they intended to close the offices, said publisher Ni
