President Arroyo lifts state of national emergency

President Arroyo lifted Friday her declaration of a state of national emergency following assurances from security officials said the danger from a coup plot had receded.

"By the powers vested in me by the Constitution, I declare that the state of emergency is no more," Mrs. Arroyo said in a televised address exactly one week after she issued Presidential Proclamation No. 1017.

Arroyo said the conspiracy to topple her administration had been crushed and that the situation had returned to normal. She appealed to the political opposition to stop destroying the gains made by the country.

On Thursday, the defense, justice, and police chiefs said they would recommend lifting the decree because the situation was normalizing.

Opposition and civil activists have warned that political freedoms were being eroded.

Authorities have filed criminal charges against over 50 opposition members, military personnel, and others for trying to overthrow the President. They include five left-wing lawmakers who sought refuge at the House of Representatives and refused to be interviewed by police.

Civil libertarians, lawyers, businessmen, and media groups have expressed concerns over a string of warrantless arrests, a ban on rallies, and a raid on a critical newspaper.

President Arroyo thanked the police and armed forces for reaming loyal to the chain of command, adding that persons who plotted to overthrow her administration would face the full force of the law.

Mrs. Arroyo, who survived an impeachment attempt last year over allegations of vote-rigging and graft, invoked the emergency last Friday to confront what she said was a conspiracy of opposition foes, communist groups and "military adventurists" to oust her.

Security officials lowered alert levels from maximum on Thursday and said the threat of a coup had subsided after a week of emergency rule, which granted broad powers of detention.(ZS)