State of Rebellion

In the Philippines, a state of rebellion is a government declaration that suspends a number of civil rights for a short period of time. It is a form of martial law that allows a government to suppress protest, detain and arrest people, search private property, read private mail, and listen to phone conversations using wiretaps - all without legal warrants. It is mainly used to stop an attempted coup. It differs from martial law, in that the military does not take over functions the government, although the military is often called to protect the government from rebels.

Most recently, President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo of the Philippines declared a state of rebellion in July 2003 after a coup attempt by supporters of the former President, Joseph Estrada. That was the second time she had used the state of rebellion to quash opposition.

The term "state of rebellion" is a euphemism favored by those in power in the Philippines because former dictator Ferdinand Marcos ruled under martial law for nine years. Under his rule, martial law was used as an excuse for torture and other human rights abuses. Thus a new term was coined to grant the President similar powers without unwanted comparisons to Marcos.