The militant Kilusang Magbubukid ng Pilipinas (KMP) lambasted President Gloria-Macapagal-Arroyo for turning the country into a police state, even if the people have toppled martial rule,Malacanang is trying to return it under different pretexts. 

According to Ka Willy Marbella, spokesperson of the group, “after pushing for the National ID system and the Anti-Terrorism Bill, now the regime is pushing for the Bush doctrine of preemptive strikes, against so-called terrorist, like what it did to Iraq. It is the policy of shoot first asks questions later, as can be attested by the Iraqi people,”

“Gloria is sounding more like Bush rather than the president of the Philippines. This track of Malacanang is very alarming and if these measures pushes through we are to expect an avalanche of human rights violations, as of late there about 3,488 documented cases of HRVs since Gloria assumed office in 2001. The human rights situation in our country is now very dismal and it is about to get worse,” added ther peasant leader.

As for his part Carl Anthony Ala, public information officer of the group, “these Marcosian moves can be connected on the so-called leniency of the president on imposing the death penalty, because as we know many of the so-called terrorists they have in custody are just fall guys, so even if they are presented to media for her “ganda points” after the issue has died down the fall guys can just be paid and freed,”
 
“With this set up everybody is happy, Malacanang and the armed forces can project an image of doing a great job against  terrorism and the fall-guys got paid. They can use this as a justification for the so-called more efficient anti-terror campaign to impose the National ID system, preemptive strikes and the Anti-teror bill. The only one not happy with this set up are the majority of the people, because what was sacrificed was the truth and their civil liberties,” ended Ala. # # #
 

KMP - 25 February 2005