supremecourt
Any citizen may question the imposition of martial law before the Supreme Court. (Photo grabbed from WikiPilipinas.)

The National Union of People’s Lawyers, Bayan Muna Rep. Satur Ocampo, Gabriela Rep. Liza Maza, Bayan Secretary-General Renato Reyes Jr. and this blogger today went to the Supreme Court to file “A Very Urgent Petition for Certiorari and Prohibition with Very Urgent Application for a Temporary Restraining Order and/or Preliminary Injunction” at the Supreme Court.

Docketed as G.R. 190301, the petition asks the Court to nullify Proclamation 1959 on two grounds:

  1. It is unconstitutional; and
  2. It adversely affects and jeopardizes the people’s demand for justice forthe victims of the Maguindanao massacre.

Here is the full text of the petition:

President Arroyo with ARMM Governor Zaldy Ampatuan and Maguindanao Governor Andal Ampatuan Sr. (right) -- Photo grabbed from the Times of London
President Arroyo with ARMM Governor Zaldy Ampatuan and Maguindanao Governor Andal Ampatuan Sr. (right) -- Photo grabbed from the Times of London

Here is the full text of President Arroyo’s declaration placing Maguindanao under martial law:

PROCLAMATION NO. 1959

PROCLAIMING A STATE OF MARTIAL LAW AND
SUSPENDING THE PRIVILEGE OF THE WRIT OF
HABEAS CORPUS IN THE PROVINCE OF
MAGUINDANAO, EXCEPT FOR CERTAIN AREAS

Photo grabbed from Arkibong Bayan.
Photo grabbed from Arkibong Bayan.

The nation is still in a state of shock over the grisly Maguindanao massacre. With the Arroyo government dragging its feet even in the face of nationwide and international uproar, several groups and individuals met over the weekend and formed the November 23 Movement.

Below is their joint statement which they hope would be published in newspapers across the country on Dec. 1:

President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo is relentless in bringing shame to the country. Of late, many were shocked by US media reports that she and her party had at least two lavish dinners worth more than two million pesos while they were in New York and Washington DC. Malacanang has given the lamest and most insulting possible excuses and has even gone to the extent of hypocritically forming an anti-hunger task force amid the continuing outcry.

Artists and writers are revolted by President Arroyo’s proclamation of seven new national artists for this year.

The Concerned Artists of the Philippines (CAP) did not mince words and blamed Arroyo’s “moribund, decadent politics” for spoiling the National Artist selection this year. The group singled out Cecile Guidote Alvarez who is presidential adviser for culture and chair of one of the agencies involved in the selection for now having  delicadeza.

That was it, Mrs. Arroyo’s last state of the nation address. Except perhaps for the brainless hordes who clapped for her no less than 126 times even for the oddest moments and whenever she looked begging for it, most of us were unimpressed by the speech.

It was incoherent and lacked focus. If it was coherent in anything, it was in giving the public an incoherent response to demands that she declare before Congress and the nation that she will leave the presidency at noon time of June 30, 2010 and thereafter retire from politics. She was obviously disinterested in taking the high road of stateswomanship and went after leaders of the opposition as if the SONA was a speech on the campaign trail.

Here is the full text of President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo’s speech before a joint session of Congress today, July 27, at the Batasan Pambansa. Outside of the legislature, tens of thousands were protesting, and vowing to make it her last State of the Nation Address ever.

Previous SONA speeches: 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007 and 2008

Here is her SONA speech for 2009:

Thank you, Ladies and gentlemen, good afternoon. Before I begin my report to the nation, please join me first in a moment of prayer for President Cory Aquino. Senate President Enrile, Speaker Nograles, Senators, Representatives, Vice President de Castro, former President Ramos, Chief Justice Puno, Ambassadors friends:

The past twelve months have been a year for the history books. Financial meltdown in the West spread throughout the world.

Tens of millions lost their jobs; billions across the globe have been hurt—the poor always harder than the rich. No one was spared.

Gloria Macapagal Arroyo is said to be preparing to use her state of the nation address tomorrow to raise anew the call for charter change.

It is thus a good thing that bloggers and Facebook users took on this issue with Cyberprotests and a Blog Action Day.

If Arroyo would indeed announce a renewed effort to ram down our throats this idea of a Constituent Assembly (ConAss) to keep her illegal hold on the presidency and to enshrine the failed policies of neoliberal globalization in the charter, then we have a great battle ahead of us and let’s not surrender an inch of our places in cyberspace to the regime’s lies.