Philippines imposes emergency rule after massacre
Wednesday, 25 November 2009
AMPATUAN, (Philippines), Nov 24 (Agencies): Philippine President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo placed two southern provinces and a city under emergency rule Tuesday after 45 people were killed in the worst-ever election related violence in the country.
"There is an urgent need to prevent and suppress the occurrence of several other incidents of lawless violence," Cerge Remonde, the president's press secretary, told reporters.
The provinces of Maguindanao and Sultan Kudarat and Cotabato City will be under an indefinite state of emergency, which gives the military and police wide powers of arrest and detention.
The orders were issued as troops, using shovels and bare hands, dug up hastily covered graves on a grassy hillside in Maguindanao to recover the victims of the massacre Monday.
A Reuters photographer at the scene saw 22 bodies -- 14 women and 8 men-with bullet and hack wounds. Some of the dead men had their hands tied behind their back and one of the women was pregnant. Eight of those found dead were local journalists.
They were part of a group of 40 people abducted by gunmen when on their way to file a candidate's nomination to contest the governorship in elections next May. The army said it had found 24 bodies and was searching for the others.
"We are expecting that more bodies will be recovered today," Lieutenant-Colonel Romeo Brawner, military spokesman, told reporters in Manila.
The election process for the May 2010 national polls began last week with the filing of candidacies for more than 17,800 national and local positions.
Arroyo ordered extra troops to the region and sacked the Maguindanao provincial police chief.
Interior Secretary Ronaldo Puno said investigations would be completed within a couple of days and arrests made.
Military officials said the dead included Genalyn Tiamzon-Mangudadatu, who was on the way to file the nomination of Esmael, her husband, to contest the governorship of Maguindanao against Datu Andal Ampatuan, the head of a powerful local family.
Meanwhile: Philippine security forces have recovered 45 bodies of people that include politicians and journalists abducted Monday in a pre-election related incidence in restive southern Philippine province of Maguindanao, a local official said.
Ibrahim Mangudadatu, mayor of Buluan Township in Maguindanao whose love ones were among the fatalities, told reporters after he personally went to the site along with police and military that there were no survivors in the stunning pre-election-violence in the south.He said there he did not see any of the victims beheaded by their captors.
Earlier, reports said Jenalyn, the wife of Buluan town vice mayor Esmail Mangudadatu; Esmail's sisters Eden, Rowena and Farida; his lawyers Cynthia Oquendo and Connie Brizuela; and Mr. Oquendo, the father of Cynthia, were among those who were abducted and killed.
"There is an urgent need to prevent and suppress the occurrence of several other incidents of lawless violence," Cerge Remonde, the president's press secretary, told reporters.
The provinces of Maguindanao and Sultan Kudarat and Cotabato City will be under an indefinite state of emergency, which gives the military and police wide powers of arrest and detention.
The orders were issued as troops, using shovels and bare hands, dug up hastily covered graves on a grassy hillside in Maguindanao to recover the victims of the massacre Monday.
A Reuters photographer at the scene saw 22 bodies -- 14 women and 8 men-with bullet and hack wounds. Some of the dead men had their hands tied behind their back and one of the women was pregnant. Eight of those found dead were local journalists.
They were part of a group of 40 people abducted by gunmen when on their way to file a candidate's nomination to contest the governorship in elections next May. The army said it had found 24 bodies and was searching for the others.
"We are expecting that more bodies will be recovered today," Lieutenant-Colonel Romeo Brawner, military spokesman, told reporters in Manila.
The election process for the May 2010 national polls began last week with the filing of candidacies for more than 17,800 national and local positions.
Arroyo ordered extra troops to the region and sacked the Maguindanao provincial police chief.
Interior Secretary Ronaldo Puno said investigations would be completed within a couple of days and arrests made.
Military officials said the dead included Genalyn Tiamzon-Mangudadatu, who was on the way to file the nomination of Esmael, her husband, to contest the governorship of Maguindanao against Datu Andal Ampatuan, the head of a powerful local family.
Meanwhile: Philippine security forces have recovered 45 bodies of people that include politicians and journalists abducted Monday in a pre-election related incidence in restive southern Philippine province of Maguindanao, a local official said.
Ibrahim Mangudadatu, mayor of Buluan Township in Maguindanao whose love ones were among the fatalities, told reporters after he personally went to the site along with police and military that there were no survivors in the stunning pre-election-violence in the south.He said there he did not see any of the victims beheaded by their captors.
Earlier, reports said Jenalyn, the wife of Buluan town vice mayor Esmail Mangudadatu; Esmail's sisters Eden, Rowena and Farida; his lawyers Cynthia Oquendo and Connie Brizuela; and Mr. Oquendo, the father of Cynthia, were among those who were abducted and killed.