Philippines arrests clan chief, declares emergency

The Philippine president imposed martial law Saturday on a southern province and security forces detained the patriarch of a powerful clan and three of his sons, accusing them of massacring 57 people and fomenting a rebellion.

President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo was accused of overreacting by invoking emergency powers in response to the country's worst incident of political violence. It was the first time martial law has been declared in the country since the late dictator Ferdinand Marcos imposed it more than three decades ago.

The head of the clan, Andal Ampatuan Sr. - a former governor - and at least six other family members who have ruled impoverished Maguindanao province unopposed for years, are the main suspects in the Nov. 23 attack on a rival's convoy. Some 30 journalists were among the dead. The family has denied involvement.

The Ampatuans, notorious for running a large private army, have previously been allied with Arroyo, who received crucial votes from the volatile southern region during 2004 elections. Arroyo's ruling party expelled the clan after the massacre.

The martial law proclamation allows troops to make arrests without court warrants and to restore order, Arroyo's top Cabinet member, Executive Secretary Eduardo Ermita, announced on national television early Saturday.

The last Philippine leader to declare martial law was Marcos, whose nationwide declaration in 1972 paved the way for his one-man rule that ended with his ouster in 1986.

Under the post-Marcos constitution, Arroyo can enforce martial law for 60 days, unless Congress revokes or extends it.