MANILA, Dec. 9, 2009-A Catholic Church-backed poll watchdog is objecting the imposition of martial law in Maguindanao province until the May 2010 elections.
According to the Parish Pastoral Council for Responsible Voting (PPCRV), military rule "in any form and in any place" is the very thing that it does not want to happen during election period.
PPCRV national chairperson Henrietta de Villa said the country already has "enough" experience during the Marcos dictatorship.
"We don't want that to be repeated. It can't stay longer until election time," she said.
De Villa opposed the proposal of Maj. Gen. Gaudencio Pangilinan, Armed Forces vice chief of staff for operations, to extend Presidential Proclamation No. 1959 until next year's presidential polls.
Instead of extending the period of martial law, she said the government should lift it and focus on the prosecution of the suspects in the Nov. 23 massacre of 57 people in Ampatuan, Maguindanao. (CBCPNews)