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As of this writing, the Randy David-led rallyists marching towards the Edsa Shrine have been stopped near Santolan. Reports are coming in of their plans to turn right at Wilson St. and proceed too Makati to meet up with former President Cory Aquino’s group instead. Now that’s a long walk.

Edit: The rallyists are currently being dispersed by a phalanx of policemen with shields and batons. Just in, Professor Randy David has just been arrested under Proclamation 1017.

Update: As everybody from Senators Biazon and Drilon to Secretaries Bunye and (Raul) Gonzales have mentioned, a declaration of a State of Emergency does not confer any extraordinary powers to the President. It does, as my friend Anzen said, however, place the military and police on full red alert. Definitely, despite conflicting reports, warrantless arrests aren’t called for unless in the obvious case like where you’re actually shooting somebody’s brains out. So what’s going on? Professor Randy David was arrested despite initiating talks with the PNP about a peacable dispersal. Now the palace has issued a threat where they will arrest anybody joining the Makati rally around the Ninoy Aquino monument.

Again, what’s going on?

Update, 3:48 PM: I’m watching the ABS-CBN interview of Ateneo Law School Dean Emeritus Fr. Joaquin Bernas, and I am astounded at how inept these TV anchors can be at interviewing. She kept missing Bernas’ point (or is simply not listening), and is actually putting words into his mouth. One example, she asked Bernas what the citizenry were supposed to do, to which the priest replied, “well, what they did during Martial Law,” to which she said, without skipping a beat, “oppose it.” I guess she needs to be reminded that there wasn’t a whole lot of opposing going on by the citizenry during Martial Law. The 1986 EDSA Revolution came years after Martial Law was lifted.

Update, 4:41 PM: I’m not one for legalese, but La Vida Lawyer points out an interesting tidbit: it (Proclamation 1017) is ordering the AFP to maintain law and order through out the entire country and enforce obedience to all the laws decrees and orders of the President. Which is, well, tantamount to martial law, anyway.

For more information:

• http://farfromneutral.com/exodus/category/news/politics/marcos-files/
• http://www.pcij.org/blog/?p=626
• http://farfromneutral.com/exodus/uploads/Proc1017.pdf
• http://farfromneutral.com/exodus/uploads/GMA-Emergency.mp3

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