There is one
thing Duterte is consistent about, his obsession for absolute rule and his
aversion to checks and balances, the Constitution and rule of law. “Until the
police and the armed forces say the Philippines is safe, this martial law will
continue. I will not listen to others. The Supreme Court, Congress, they are
not here,” Duterte told soldiers in Jolo, last Saturday, May 27.
Before this
latest revelation of his autocratic passion, Duterte, last May 26, spoke before
Philippine Army soldiers in Iligan City and exhorted them to support his
martial law. He impressed on the soldiers that under his
martial law, with the privilege of writ of habeas corpus suspended, soldiers are
vested with the power to arrest without warrant and the privilege of not having
to account before the law.
To stress his
muddled view of the power of soldiers to make “warrantless arrest”, which
directly contradicts an earlier statement from the government’s information
agency explaining martial law, Duterte assured soldiers that he would be
responsible for abuses committed by them. To drive his point, Duterte came out
with one of the marks of his notoriety by telling the soldiers that if anyone
of them “raped three women”, he would claim responsibility for it.
Though how
much his spokesperson tried to make a “post-speech editing”, the rape “joke”
reveals Duterte’s utter disrespect and contempt for women. It was also an insult
to soldiers, particularly women soldiers, who are in their right senses.
In the pursuit
of his passion for dictatorial rule, Duterte most recently boasted before
soldiers that he would ignore the Supreme Court and Congress if they exercise
their constitutional powers to revoke or rule against the declaration of
martial law. He was trying to cajole
soldiers by saying he’d rather listen to them at same time contemptuously
describing justices of the SC and all those critical of him, as people who do
not know the “real conditions” of the troops on the ground. This was a not so
subtle attempt to drive a wedge between the military, the courts and the
legislature.
In both
instances, with soldiers and their officers who were obliged to stand before
their commander-in-chief, Duterte was insinuating power grab - of solely exercising power in a regime where he will be the law. He had hinted at it before. Even before his inaugural as President, he warned
Congress not to question nor hinder his plans, lest he would close it by declaring
martial law. He also threatened Chief Justice Sereno with martial law when the
CJ asserted the court’s supervision over judges in Duterte’s drug list. In his “war on drugs” he likewise called on
the police forces to kill, kill, kill and gave assurances that he will protect
them from prosecution. He is more direct
now, after he has declared martial law in Mindanao, and seems to be getting away
with it.
That he
delivered those messages to the men and women in uniform is deliberate. Duterte
knows that the power grab he is contemplating requires the unequivocal support
of the military. In the face of Constitutional
restrictions on the martial law powers of the presidency, the power grab can
only be through a “coup from the center.”
He thus seeks to cajole the soldiers and officers with the power of
being above the law; agitate them to disregard the laws and the Constitution;
instil in them the culture of obeisance and blind loyalty only to him, their commander-in-chief
and lord, who given the power, would protect them against reprisals for whatever
criminal acts they may perpetrate
against the people in their compliance with his orders.
The martial law Duterte is promoting is contrary
to the Constitution, the provisions on restrictions on presidential powers on declaring
martial law, which he openly criticizes
and seeks to be removed. It is contrary to the assurances his apologists have
been dishing out since he declared martial law in the whole of Mindanao on May
23.
Duterte minced
no words in saying his martial law will be ruthless, brutal, and merciless. It
will know no bounds, other than the bond between him and the security forces
that he is trying to build as his own. Duterte himself spares no effort to express
it. He said military rule under him will be no different from Marcos’ martial law.
It will be harsh. It will be atrocious, as
Marcos dictatorial rule was.
Duterte is calibrating
martial law, to cover only Mindanao for now and for only 60 days, as allowed by
the Constitution. It is obviously designed
to avoid widespread opposition, pending the success of what he has embarked on since he took office and especially in
the last one week since he declared martial law in the whole of Mindanao. He seeks to
seal the bond between him and the state security forces on an obsession for the
exercise of sheer power by those who wield the gun and to rule with impunity.
While his
objective is clear, Duterte’s acts are tempered by real-politik. He moves in measured steps towards his goal as
allowed by exigencies, real or not --- emergency powers solve the “traffic crisis”,
state of lawlessness in Mindanao and state of national emergency and martial
law in the whole of Mindanao, in
less than a year of his 6- year term. While saying that he will be “happy” if
the terrorist threat is solved in less than 60 days, he has said that his
martial law should be in one year at least but should even “sign of terrorist
threat appears in other parts of the country”, he would declare martial law in
the whole country in no time.
Duterte has so
far succeeded in letting loose the Philippine National Police (PNP) and his
Department of (in)Justice in a rampage against judicial processes and due
process. He yet has to win over and utilize the whole of the Armed Forces of
the Philippines (AFP) for his power grab. The AFP, a vital institution, for
Duterte’s desired martial law, until recently, has been adamant in its
assessment that there is no basis for declaring martial law.
Just yesterday
afternoon (May 30), it was revealed by opposition senators that Defence
Secretary Delfin Lorenzana, in a closed-door briefing, on May 29, admitted,
“the Maute group can be contained even without martial law”; the military and
DND “did not recommend martial law”; and, that they just learned that Duterte
has declared martial law and thus, “were obliged to implement it”.
There is no
disclaimer from DND Sec. Lorenzana as of this writing. It can be recalled, just before the
announcement of martial law declaration, Lorenzana and National Security
Adviser, Hermogenes Esperon, Jr. told media in Moscow, the military was in
“full control” of the situation in Marawi City.
Also, just two hours after the proclamation of martial law in Mindanao,
the AFP announced, the situation in Marawi is “under control”.
To deny these
facts and to grant Duterte has good intention in his martial law and suspension
of the writ of habeas corpus in the
whole of Mindanao is to reject his dubious and record. To be blind to the
reality that he has grabbed on every opportunity, from the time before his
inauguration president, to assume more power than allowed by the Constitution – the drug problem, “lawlessness”, terrorism and
recently, the events in Marawi City . To grant that his good intention at
making a “hill out of a mole” outweighs his pronouncements and actions that
have caused violations of human rights as in thousands of victims of extra-judicial
killing in the name of fighting criminality and the drug menace.
“The road to
hell is paved good intentions”. Marcos
justified his dictatorial rule with the promise and intent of making this
nation great again. The outcome was
exactly the opposite. It plunged the country into the darkest years in its
history. Hitler justified Nazism to the
German people with a promise and declared intent to make Germany great again. It is now recorded as among the most
gruesome crimes against humanity in human history and left a legacy of national
guilt among the German people. History indeed is replete with tyrants’ promises
of heaven only to lead whole nations to hell.
Similarly, Duterte justifies his iron-fist rule with
promises of and intent for peace and
order and security for the people. As
in all tyrannical regimes, Duterte’s rule can only lead to the people’s doom.
The truth about
Duterte’s rule is now fast unravelling, and foreboding of what awaits the nation if
Duterte succeeds in his quest for dictatorial rule. Injustice
is widespread, as thousands of mostly poor suspects and bystanders are summarily
killed and dissenters are threatened, while the biggest plunderers and crime lords
are scot-free. Peace will not be
achieved without justice. “Order”
enforced by suppression is order that serves tyrant’s whims. There can be no sense of
security in an environment where security forces can arbitrarily search one’s
person, domicile and work place, effect one’s arrest, or worse, put an end to
one’s life, without having to establish, through duly established processes,
the just basis for such. Worse, when members of armed state security forces can
flagrantly violate one’s person, as in cases of rape, and rights to life, as in
summary killings, are guaranteed immunity from suit and reprisal.
NO WAY! Democracy, the people’s fundamental rights
and freedom - cannot be traded for promises of peace, order and security. No
one must be allowed to toy with our freedoms under pretext of whatever problems
the country is facing. Indeed, the country has multifarious problems – terrorism,
criminality, drug addiction, prostitution, graft and corruption, insurgency –
rooted on existing social conditions and relations, and thus requiring more
comprehensive and systematic solutions, rather than taking away or curtailing
the rights of people.
Duterte’s
obsession for absolute power is further reason to be alarmed. Duterte’s record, both as mayor of Davao City
and in nearly one year as the country’s president, most especially in recent
days, speaks eloquently and leaves a clear mark on the type of ruler he is and
can be.
The argument
of giving him the benefit of the doubt in his declaration of martial law does
not hold water. Duterte is clearly working for a power grab - extra powers
beyond what was accruing him in his election, as a plurality President, and
diminution of the regulatory powers of co-equal branches of government and
disregard for the rule of law.
Duterte’s lust
for extra powers must be stopped before he successfully infects and corrupts
the armed men and women in uniform. And
he must be decisively stopped now. If
allowed by their dereliction of Constitutional duties, the “leaders” of both houses
of Congress are giving Duterte free hand to do away with the constitution and
with Congress itself as what Fe4rdinand Marcos, Sr. did 45 years ago.
More than ever,
the reasonable section of the men and women in uniform who are aware of their
duties to respect and protect the people’s rights and lives must see through
Duterte’s ploy and enticements of unfettered power for them. They must stop his
mad drive to make them tools against the people, against the laws, against
freedom and democracy.
Officials in
the legislature and judiciary, who have not been blinded by the glimmer of
momentary personal or party gain, must likewise act decisively to stop
Duterte’s attempt to grab power before it is too late for them to assert and defend
the power of the legislature and the judiciary.
More
importantly, the Filipino people who will be denied of rights and security
well- being, and whatever has been gained in their assertion of sovereignty, must muster the strength that can only emanate
from the concerted exercise of collective will to defend democracy. They can
call on their children, siblings, and friends,
in the military and police, and in the legislature and the judiciary to
put the interest of the people above all
else.
Every voice,
every warm body, counts in this struggle to assert democracy and resist
tyranny. Let’s use every available form, and every available forum to register
our resistance to martial law NOW.
Never again to
martial law!
People’s
Campaign Against Tyranny
May 31, 2017
