MANILA, Philippines -- In her final appearance as commander-in-chief during the military anniversary, President Macapagal-Arroyo on Thursday took the occasion to personally thank soldiers for implementing her weeklong martial rule in Maguindanao.

Ms Arroyo heaped praises on troops, describing them as ?the great Filipino soldier? and promising individual promotions and awards for ?deserving men and women who were in that assignment.?

?Those who were assigned to implement martial law in Maguindanao showed our people that the Philippines is a law-abiding, democratic nation that upholds the rule of law and respects human rights,? she said in her speech during the 74th anniversary of the Armed Forces of the Philippines in Camp Aguinaldo.

Armed Forces of the Philippines Chief of Staff Victor Ibrado said both the police and the military ?did a good job? in the province, claiming the absence of any human rights violation while Presidential Proclamation No. 1959 was in effect.

?I think the AFP and the Philippine National Police did very well in the enforcement of the declared martial law in Maguindanao,? he told the Inquirer.

?For one thing, there were no abuses recorded, although some people said there were. But when investigated, all these allegations did not really happen.?

Ms Arroyo placed Maguindanao under military rule in response to what Palace officials claimed was an ?overt? act of rebellion by the powerful Ampatuan clan, whose members were the prime suspects in the Nov. 23 massacre in the province.

The declaration yielded hundreds of firearms and thousands of ammunition?including anti-tank missiles and an armored personnel carrier?all being used by the Ampatuans? private army, according to the AFP.

Several lawmakers questioned the legality?and the motive?of PP 1959, insisting that prevailing conditions in the province did not justify the declaration of martial law.

But Ms Arroyo lifted PP 1959 on Dec. 12 before the Senate and the House of Representatives could vote on whether to scrap, uphold or even extend it.

?If anything positive could come out of the terrible tragedy in Maguindanao, it is that the heartbeat of peace and human rights is very much alive,? she said in the speech.

?This is clear by the passion by which people across the nation condemned the violence and also by the admirable behavior of our troops who implemented martial law and by the positive developments we?re seeing once again in our peace talks in Mindanao,? she added.

Ms Arroyo said the government was ?gratified? that it still managed to resume formal peace talks with the Moro Islamic Liberation Front despite the declaration of martial law.

The Ampatuans had been assigned armed followers supposedly to serve as ?force multipliers? for the government in its campaign against the secessionist MILF.

?I can?t think of nothing more desirable for the people of Mindanao and our nation than peace at the soonest possible time,? she said.

?Only lasting peace will bring true justice and ensure that crimes such as those committed in Maguindanao and those that were committed also in Basilan cannot be repeated.?