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The military chief in the southern Philippine province of
Maguindanao has taken over as local governor after martial law was
imposed, following the country's worst election-related crime last
month.
Police have taken in five members of the Ampatuan political clan,
including the patriarch who is a close ally of President Gloria
Macapagal Arroyo, and other officials for questioning on the
massacre of 57 people, more than half of whom were
journalists.
Executive Secretary Eduardo Ermita has told reporters the
government suspended civil rights in the province, for the first
time in nearly three decades, after receiving reports armed groups
loyal to local mayor Andal Ampatuan Jr were massing in the area to
launch a rebellion against his arrest last week.
Ampatuan Jr is the main suspect in the killings on November 23 when
members of a rival political clan were attacked while they were on
their way to file the candidacy of one of their leaders for
elections next year.
The Ampatuan family has ruled in Muslim-dominated Maguindanao for
nearly a decade.
"These are large forces that could really undertake violent
actions against anybody in the province. By their sheer number,
they are really a threat to the security of the province," says
General Victor Ibrado, head of the armed forces.
Earlier, the Ampatuan patriarch was taken by security forces to
Davao City where he later felt chest pains and a headache and was
taken to a private hospital.
His son Zaldy, governor of the five-province ARMM region in southern Philippines, was brought outside his region to General Santos for questioning.
They were both taken out of Maguindanao to prevent violence and to pave the way for an impartial probe.
Officials say government workers in the province, including judges, have not been going to work, most of them fearing reprisals from the Ampatuan clan.
Martial law
The killings raised tensions ahead of the elections set for May and were condemned by local and international media and human rights groups.
But Lieutenant General Raymundo Ferrer, chief of the eastern
Mindanao command who took over as Maguindanao governor, says there
is no need to impose curfew in the province.
He says the imposition of martial law will allow security forces to
conduct arrests and searches without warrants after local judges
refused to issue such orders.
Major General Gaudencio Pangilinan, deputy chief of staff, says
"Our job there is to return normalcy as soon as we can....Right now
there is a complete breakdown of the function of the government in
the area."
But political analyst Benito Lim has told radio the measure is not
necessary because the government had already deployed a
5,000-strong security force in Maguindanao, enough to quell any
violence by the Ampatuans and their supporters.
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