Question & AnswerQ&A (PROCLAMATION NO. 1017)
The Proclamation was issued under Section 18, Article 7 of the Philippine Constitution, which grants the President the power to call out the armed forces to prevent or suppress a rebellion.
The Armed Forces were commanded to maintain law and order throughout the Philippines, prevent or suppress all forms of lawless violence, any act of insurrection or rebellion, and to enforce obedience to laws, decrees, orders, and regulations promulgated by the President.
Elements of the political opposition, authoritarians of the extreme Left represented by the NDF-CPP-NPA, and the extreme Right represented by military adventurists.
Article 2, Section 4 of the Philippine Constitution mandates the defense and preservation of democratic institutions and the State as the primary duty of Government.
These acts were harming the Philippine state by obstructing governance, hindering economic growth, sabotaging public confidence in government, and providing extremist groups opportunity to intensify their aims threatening the democratic state.
Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo signed the Proclamation in her capacity as President of the Republic of the Philippines and Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces.
It signifies that the described activities posed an immediate and serious threat to national safety and the integrity of the Philippine State and its people, justifying extraordinary measures like declaring a State of National Emergency.
The President must determine that it has become necessary to prevent or suppress a rebellion or lawless violence, as provided by Section 18, Article 7 of the Constitution.
It notes that certain segments of the national media have recklessly magnified the claims of conspirators, which could potentially exacerbate the situation.