GMA and her cabinet, particularly her national security adviser, Norberto Gonzales, should stop toying with the idea of an emergency rule or martial law or governing with an “iron fist” if there is an iota of patriotism left in their hearts. If they still love their country, they should focus instead on the conduct of a free, clean, and orderly elections in May of 2010.

GMA should exit the corridors of power quietly. The way she is behaving, one would think she is the epitome of desperation; her schemes of retaining power -- running for congress or revising the constitution to suit her plans -- are viewed by the Filipino people as pathetic. She seems scared, all right. Why? Why should she be scared when all this time she has been asserting that she is not guilty of any wrongdoing as president of the Philippines?

Even if the recent bombings in Mindanao were really the handiwork of rebel groups, these incidents do not warrant the declaration of an emergency rule or “iron fist” governance. After all, the secessionist movement or the rebel groups have been there for decades and all this time never have their activities against the government constituted reason enough to resort to emergency rule or matial law. But now that the term of GMA is about to end, the idea of imposing emergency rule has suddenly become more palatable to NSA Norberto Gonzales; in fact, one would suspect that he is deliberately conditioning the collective mind of the Filipino people to the necessity of employing “iron fist” tactics in order to contain the spate of bombings.

A declaration of emergency rule or martial law will only ignite the fuse of a deadlier bomb: civil war. To think that the Filipino people would meekly accept the imposition of an “iron fist” rule when the presidential election is just around the corner would be a tragic mistake.

May kasabihan tayo: Ang pagsisisi ay laging sa huli. Kaya’t ang sambayanang Filipino ay dapat magkaisa at maging mapagmatyag; huwag nating pabayaan na ang ating kalayaan at ang kinabukasan ng ating mga anak ay sirain ng isang batas militar na hindi naman nararapat ipatupad!