MANILA, 5 March 2006 — President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo yesterday lifted the national state of emergency she proclaimed a week ago but warned that she would not hesitate to reimpose it if necessary.

Speaking on nationwide radio and television, Arroyo said she has decided to relax the rules since the threat of a coup had been crushed.

“By the powers vested in me by the Constitution, I declare that the state of emergency is no more,” Arroyo said in rescinding Presidential Proclamation No. 1017, whose constitutionality is being challenged in the Supreme Court by groups of lawyers and the political opposition.

Arroyo declared the state of emergency and ordered a police crackdown on those seeking her ouster, citing an alleged conspiracy between leftists and military “adventurists” to grab power.

Among those arrested by police were leftist Rep. Crispin Beltran and retired General Ramon Montaño. Police also placed the opposition mouthpiece Daily Tribune under “temporary takeover” for allegedly advocating an overthrow of the government.

“Today, a week later, I am happy to report that the cabal is broken and it is time to get back to the real business of governing,” Arroyo said in Filipino.

She made the announcement after her security advisers led by Defense Secretary Avelino Cruz and Armed Forces chief of staff Gen. Generoso Senga said the threat to national security had subsided.

Olive Branch

Arroyo held out an olive branch to the restive military ordering her defense secretary to investigate their complaints and needs.

But she was unapologetic about the crackdown that has included dozens of arrests on rebellion charges.

“It is essential now that our political opponents and opportunists stop undermining our economy at home and embarrassing the nation abroad with their cheap political antics,” Arroyo said.

“I will never tolerate this kind of adventurism. No matter how many times, I will act with steadfastness and determination each time our enemies undermine our nation and the economy.”

“For the love of the nation, it is time to make things work and get things done,” she said.

Malicious Destabilizers

Arroyo said she was forced to declare the emergency because “there was a clear and present danger to the republic” as it marked the 20th anniversary of the “people power” revolt that ousted dictator Ferdinand Marcos in 1986.

“One week ago, malicious destabilizers and wayward police and soldiers joined forces to exploit the emotional celebrations,” Arroyo said.

“They had no other goals but to sabotage our constitution and to destroy the legal government of the Philippines.”

There has been a mounting clamor for the president to end the emergency, which analysts say has hurt the country’s credibility, weakened it abroad and deterred badly-needed investment.

Retribution

With the lifting of Proclamation 1017, Philippine National Police chief Arturo Lomibao ordered the pullout of police from the offices of the Daily Tribune and lowered the police alert status to normal and removed the suspension of permits to carry firearms.

Commanders outside the capital were allowed to decide on whether to downgrade the alert level in their areas.

Defense Secretary Avelino Cruz, however. said two senior military commanders implicated in the foiled coup face court martial.

“If you are a member of the military and you are armed, you are not authorized to join the free market of ideas,” Cruz said.

Authorities have filed criminal charges against at least 51 opposition members, military personnel and others for allegedly trying to overthrow the president. Arroyo said each would have a fair trial.

Police said they filed charges Friday of inciting sedition against the publisher and two columnists of the Daily Tribune.

Threat Remains

Former President Fidel Ramos, whose support was crucial when Arroyo survived a political crisis in mid-2005, said lifting the decree “would pre-empt further, more serious action on the part of the restive military and police components.”

But he warned the situation has not stabilized and the threat against Arroyo’s government remains.

US Embassy spokesman Matthew Lus-senhop welcomed the end of the state of emergency and said Washington looks forward to continuing to “deepen our cooperation on important issues we both face.”

Left-wing Rep. Teodoro Casino, one of six lawmakers charged with rebellion, called the end of Arroyo’s decree a superficial move.

He and four of the other legislators have been holed up in the House of Representatives building to avoid arrest.

“We still cannot go out of Congress, we still have a lousy president, and the military and police are still after ‘the enemies of the state,” he said.

“She lifted it to escape the snowballing protest against the proclamation. It’s cosmetic, but in a way it’s a victory, because she was forced to lift it.”

The Supreme Court had set oral arguments for next Tuesday on four legal challenges to Arroyo’s decree. Casino said those actions are now moot, but vowed protests will continue against what he called continuing political repression.

Political Freedom

Opposition and civil activists have warned that the state of emergency eroded political freedoms.

Arroyo countered that her actions actually protected civil liberties from those who wanted to usurp them.

“Throughout the ordeal, I have been keenly aware of the anxiety that the state of emergency created within many segments of society,” she said.

“It was not an action I took lightly, but I felt too much was at stake to do anything less.”

Senator Joker Arroyo said that unless President Arroyo reassures the people that she would not exercise the provisions in Proclamation 1017, “the repeal would be meaningless.”

Senator Edgardo Angara earlier warned that a prolonged emergency would discourage investors.

He said the international business community has expressed alarm at the state of national emergency.

Francisco Nemenzo, former University of the Philippines president, considerd the impending lifting of Proclamation 1017 a damage-control measure designed to mollify the strong opposition to it.

Meanwhile, Senator Rodolfo Biazon said the lifting of the state of national emergency did not absolve the executive department and its agents who violated the basic constitutional rights of the people.

“There will be a day of reckoning,” Biazon said in a briefing, minutes after Arroyo announced that she was lifting Proclamation 1017.

Biazon said Arroyo apparently lifted the proclamation due to Washington’s sentiments and not because of the people’s calls for its lifting. Biazon he noted that the president lifted the proclamation following a meeting with US Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs Christopher Hill.

Hill had said that Washington welcomed Arroyo’s “desire to lift the state of national emergency as soon as possible, and I understand from her statement that in fact the government is reviewing that position.” (With input from Agencies)