Creeping impeachment to creeping martial law

The country is now full of creeps. First, we were being warned of a creeping impeachment. Now, we are being warned of a creeping martial law. The good thing is that peace and order continues to reign and all issues are decided according to law. As two former Justice Secretaries pointed out, President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo cannot unilaterally declare martial law. It has to be approved by Congress.

The truth is that what is causing all the problems are the "Gloria Step Down" rallies. The only legal way to get her out of office is through impeachment and Congress has already decided that there are no grounds to impeach her. To go out in the streets to demand that she step down could be interpreted as a rebellion. One of the things that has added to the present confusion is when the President announced that her response to the demonstrations demanding that she step down will no longer be maximum tolerance. From now on, it will be "calibrated pre-emptive response." Frankly, it is the first time we have ever heard of that term and we are not certain what it means. Maximum tolerance was a good policy. It did not preclude dispensing and arresting the demonstrators if they violated any laws, but the police would enforce those measures only as a very last resort. We assume that "calibrated pre-emptive response" would mean that the police would take measures to disperse and arrest the crowd even before things get out of order if it were convinced that it would only be a matter of time before the activists would get unruly. We hope that the authorities respond to the Commission on Human Rights’ request that they explain just what "calibrated pre-emptive response" means. We have talked to many people and not one knew what it meant. That is why many believe that it could be the start of a creeping martial law declaration.

EDSA was the traditional place for rallies. Now, sad to day, rallies are generally held in Makati and activists gather right at the heart of the business center, meaning the corner of Ayala Avenue and Paseo de Roxas.

You can just imagine the inconvenience they cause to motorists and pedestrian commuters. Some businessmen who hold office in the area have already voiced their desire to move out of Makati. We hope that political rallies do not ruin Makati’s reputation as the business center of the Republic of the Philippines. Political rallies can be conducted in Makati, but they should be held in places that will not disrupt the day to day activities of persons who have established their businesses in Makati. We should, in fact, attract more commercial establishments in Makati. Makati should be the example of peace, law and order.

A President’s tenure should be decided by our courts of law – and not demonstrations in the streets.