The Philippines was under a state of emergency, announced by presidential spokesperson Ignacio Bunye on the morning of February 24, 2006, by the virtue of Proclamation No. 1017. This occurred after the government claimed that it foiled an alleged coup d'état attempt against the rule of President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo earlier that same day. State security services also claimed that it had arrested a general who was involved in the coup attempt. President Arroyo lifted the state of emergency on March 3, 2006, by the virtue of Proclamation No. 1021.
The state of national emergency also led to a temporary suspension of lower-level education classes and an immediate revocation on all licenses and permits to hold demonstrations and protests. The government also suspended all public activities on the same day and even on succeeding days. Under the provisions of the 1987 Constitution, the government was allowed at the moment to detain anyone indefinitely without the privilege of the writ of habeas corpus.
President Arroyo assured Filipinos that the situation was under control and the state of emergency would not be abused.
Arroyo had justified the declaration of a state of emergency with her statement of "clear and present danger to our Republic that we have discovered and thwarted." Critics claimed that this was an attempt by Arroyo to seize political power due to her sagging influence and popularity, and some drew similarities to the actions of her predecessor, Ferdinand Marcos, when he declared martial law in 1972.
On March 3, 2006 (one week after the proclamation), by the virtue of Proclamation No. 1021, the President lifted the state of emergency.
Previous incidents
The coup attempt follows the 2003 Oakwood mutiny where President Arroyo, certain members of her cabinet, and the military were charged with corruption and the Hello Garci scandal, where in 2004, Arroyo and certain election officials were charged with electoral fraud in the 2004 presidential elections.
This also comes after Executive Order No. 464, where the President forbade government officials under the Executive branch to attend Filipino Congressional hearings, and the Calibrated Pre-Emptive Response, where street protests were disallowed without securing a rally permit.
This led to a drop at the president's popularity ratings from +28% right after EDSA II to -30% by December 2005.
Timeline of events leading up to the proclamation
The coup was first reported when 14 junior military officers were arrested for plotting a coup on February 22. Around midnight of the 24th, many military vehicles were seen entering Fort Bonifacio in Taguig. Then, at 2:00 a.m., several more vehicles were seen entering Camp Aguinaldo on EDSA. Brigadier General Danilo D. Lim of the Scout Rangers was put under the custody of the Armed Forces of the Philippines.
Former President Joseph Estrada was awoken by the police around 3:00 a.m. in San Juan Medical Center and was ordered to return to his resthouse in Tanay, Rizal. He did not follow the request of the police, because it has no authority from the Sandiganbayan, which was trying him on corruption charges. He said that "Magkakamatayan kami" (over my dead body). His eye operation succeeded despite the political unrest within Metro Manila.
Hours later, large demonstrations were held at EDSA Shrine, the site of the first People Power movement in 1986. The presidential residence at Malacañang was placed under heavy guard after a lacquer thinner bomb exploded outside of the building on February 23. The coup is part of a plot codenamed "Oplan HACKLE."
Arroyo claimed that the coup was a plan between right-wing factions in the military and leftist anarchists, a highly questionable claim since it has been pointed out that both sides have fought each other in the past, and would make unlikely allies.
By mid-morning, President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo declared a moratorium on all school activities from elementary to college level, issued through the Department of Education and the Commission on Higher Education. Around 11:25 a.m., Arroyo issued Proclamation No. 1017 on national television, placing the entire nation under a state of emergency in an attempt to quell the rebellion — sparking fears that it could lead to the introduction of martial law. General Order No. 5 was issued by the President to implement Proclamation No. 1017, ordering the Armed Forces of the Philippines to "maintain the peace and order of the country and to protect it from terrorism or chaos."
The Proclamation effectively cancelled all rally permits everywhere, and according to interpretations by the Arroyo administration, legalized arrest without a warrant.