Roxas warns of ‘creeping authoritarianism’

MANILA, Philippines - Sen. Manuel Roxas II on Sunday warned of “creeping authoritarianism" in the Philippines as he blasted President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo’s directive reorganizing the National Peace and Order Council that would supposedly end communist insurgency on or before 2010. Executive Order No. 739, signed by President Arroyo last month, virtually makes Interior Secretary Ronaldo Puno a co-President with Mrs. Arroyo and gives him sweeping powers in enforcing security in the country, including sanctions against local executives seen as not cooperating with Malacañang. “This is creepy," Roxas said. “The reorganization of this NPOC, which resembles the martial-law era Peace and Order Council, seems to bring back the same climate of fear, suspicion and surveillance that led to extrajudicial killings and other human rights abuses under martial law." Under the reorganized NPOC, the POCs in the regional, provincial, city and municipal levels are also tasked to “apply moral suasion to and/or recommend sanctions against local chief executives who are giving material and political support to the Communist rebels," as stated in EO 739’s Section 3 (d). Philippine Information Agency Web site stated that the President’s order was signed August 19. “The order is premised on the desire of the Government to put to rest the disruption and violation of human rights by the communist rebels so that the nation can move ahead to becoming a first world country," it stated. Under EO 379, the National Peace and Order Council shall have the same composition as the National Security Council except for the chairmanship. The chair of the NSC shall be the President of the Philippines and the chair of the NPOC shall be the Interior Secretary. The members of both councils shall be composed of the Interior Secretary, the Director General of the National Security Council, the Executive Secretary, the Secretary of Foreign Affairs, the Secretary of National Defense; The Secretary of Justice, the Press Secretary, the Chairman of the Dangerous Drugs Board, the Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process, the Director-General of the Presidential Management Staff; and the Director-General of the Philippine Information Agency. Also included as members are the chairperson of the Presidential Anti-Graft Commission, the Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces of the Philippines, the Chief of the Philippine National Police, the Director of the Bureau of Investigation, three representatives from the private sector who shall be appointed by the President of the Philippines. EO 739 created in each Region a Regional ISO Convergence Office under the RPOC, which shall focus on the convergence and the orchestration of internal security operations efforts of civil authorities and agencies, military and police. The Infantry Division Commander shall act as the Executive Director while the Presidential Assistant for the Region will assist him. Further, EO 739 provides that the Kalayaan Barangay list drawn up by the Department of Defense may be amended with the approval of the Unified Commander, to conform with the need to provide livelihood and infrastructure development programs and projects in the relevant remote rural and indigenous population areas adopted to isolate them from the communist rebels' "agitate/arouse, organize and mobilize" and ideological, political and organization works. “Now, the government is hanging a Damocles’ sword over our local leaders by legitimizing ‘moral suasion’ and actual sanctions, while the authority to do such under existing criminal laws is not stated in the EO," he said. “Is the government wittingly or unwittingly opening the door to a witch hunt not only to ordinary citizens but also to their elected local leaders?" he said. Roxas said the NPOC under EO 739 resembles the Peace and Order Council created during the 20-year rule of the late President Ferdinand Marcos. Both are primarily composed of the departments and agencies under the national security establishment. He deplored, however, that it lacks the representation of government bodies catering to social rights and welfare and that of the academe, civil, youth, labor, religious, business and other sectors, which were included in the NPOC created during the term of former President Corazon Aquino. Roxas also noted the recent warning of former Defense Secretary Avelino Cruz, Jr. against the possibility that the ongoing war in Mindanao, if it escalates to terrorist attacks in other parts of the country, could be used by Malacañang to declare a state of emergency. Roxas vowed to fight any attempt to restore authoritarianism and one-man rule as the nation marked the 36th anniversary of Marcos’ declaration of martial law in 1972 and the closure of the country’s democratic institutions, including Congress Sunday. “Thirty-six years after martial law, it seems we’ve come full circle. We see the same abuse of power, the same propensity for corruption at every levels of government, and the same disregard for human rights. What have we done to our country?" he asked. - GMANews.TV