Philippines Keeps Emergency Rule in Place as Threats Linger
Philippines President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo kept emergency rule in place on Wednesday as security officials warned that many plotters were still at large. Apparently responding to criticism of the emergency from within her own cabinet and a call from the U.S. State Department for it to be lifted as soon as possible, Arroyo promised to review the situation within three days. “I will lift the state of emergency once I am convinced that the security officials can assure me that we are in control of the situation,” she said in a televised address. But the justice secretary — one of three security officials who will report back to her by the weekend — said he could not yet recommend ending the emergency, which gives broad powers of detention. Full Story