Sen. Pia Cayetano on Martial Law declaration in Maguindanao

"The Arroyo regime should exercise great caution before resorting to extreme measures such as declaring martial law and suspending the writ of habeas corpus. It has the entire PNP and AFP in its disposal to disarm the Ampatuans' private army and arrest the perpetrators of the Magunadanao massacre, so why the need to declare martial law? The situation paints a desperate government scrambling to slay the very monster it created. Congress is duty-bound to review government's justification because we cannot allow this extreme measure to be used wantonly and carelessly. Unfortunately, in the hands of the power-hungry, this tool is very dangerous and we fear its abuse. I also fear that instead of bringing a quick resolution to the massacre, martial law might only create more complications and problems for the government."