May 24, 2017
Like the State of National Emergency,
Martial Law in Mindanao, Overkill
Following clashes between government troops and alleged members of the
Maute Group in Marawi City, President Rodrigo Duterte has made good his earlier
threats to declare Martial Rule over the region.
The 60 day declaration came as the Maute group was said to have “set
ablaze establishments” and the firefight with government troops which started
3:20 pm, Tuesday, May 23.
A closer perusal of the news brings up critical questions.
Four minutes (9:56PM) before the ten pm declaration by President
Duterte, Marawi City Mayor Majul Gandamra was reported to have been pleading
with authorities, especially the AFP to send reinforcements despite assurances
that “help was on their way”.
Another report featuring Mayor Gandamra said that by 7:32 PM, the
local government still has all control of the government establishments and the
streets are quiet.
Mayor Gandamra’s statement is consistent with that released by AFP
Public Affairs Office Chief Marine Colonel Edgard A. Arevalo in social media,
declaring that “the situation (in Marawi) has stabilized” and there is “no
truth to the earlier reports that Amai Pakpak Hospital has been occupied and
that the people there were held hostage”, the “City Hall was not occupied” and
that the “sporadic firefight heard was harassment actions by terrorist
sympathizers”.
In the same statement, the AFP pointed out that reports linking ISIS
to Maute are “spurious” and characterized them as a “ small, local terror
group”, which is opposite of the statement made in the impromptu Press
Conference in Moscow by government officials announcing the 60 day Martial Law
of Mindanao branding Maute as part of or affiliated with ISIS.
Like the unjustified declaration of a State of National Emergency
following the bombing in Davao Market last year which have yet to be lifted,
the declaration of Martial Law for an entire region is another overkill move as
the clash cannot be imagined to be either invasion or rebellion, the necessary
Constitutional Basis for declaring Martial Law.
In more than a dozen instances, the President himself has articulated
his preference to impose Martial Law for varying reasons, the latest of which
was in the event that the conflict in Mindanao will spiral out of control. The
situation has already stabilized says the AFP, logically the declaration is
superfluous.
In fact, no armed group is posing as a threat against government and
one cannot help but think that the Maute threat is being blown up way out of
proportion.
We view this declaration as a confirmation of Duterte's obsession with
strong hand rule which he has always threatened to do every time his plans and
decisions, his exercise of presidential authority, are questioned. He has said
before that if he is pushed he would do. Now finding even a flimsy reason he
declares martial law.
The declaration is arbitrary having not considered the report and
assessment by the AFP and the local government that the situation is under
control.
Furthermore, just as the open-ended "state of emergency",
this martial law declaration was announced by the presidential spokesperson not
by Duterte himself. The declaration was made while the president was in Russia
underscoring the fact that there was no serious and objective study of the
situation. Such arbitrariness betrays Duterte's tendency to abuse authority.
Though the declaration cited the constitutional provision stating the
basis for imposing martial law, such situation however does not exist, even in
Marawi city.
The declaration is too vague and therefore open to abuses. It
dangerously threatens the people's democratic and legal rights, the functions
of the civilian government and the courts. In fact, it will surely further the
culture of fear and impunity already besetting the nation and not to mention
open doors to rights abuses that would befall the citizens of Mindanao.
We demand that this declaration be recalled immediately and make the
president answer for his action.
####
No comments:
Post a Comment