VECTOR.

Byline: Sonny Coloma

First, there was the Maguindanao massacre that hogged the headlines before it escalated into a martial law declaration. Now comes the unseating by the Comelec of Isabela Gov. Grace Padaca, a known crusader for good government who was a Ramon Magsaysay laureate in 2008. Already, militant groups are warning that martial law in Maguindanao may just be a prelude to a nationwide declaration that can impair the holding of free elections in 2010.

The roots of decay may be founded in the weakness of our institutions. Recall the celebrated "Hello Garci" scandal that exposed the possibility that, indeed, his main adversary may have cheated Fernando Poe, Jr. out of the presidency because of the flagrant abuse of authority. Even after President Arroyo said "I am …