Celebration ignites calls to stop martial law in PH

AS the Philippines celebrated its 119th Independence Day yesterday, appeals to end martial law in Mindanao rang across several groups that marched the streets of Metro Cebu to commemorate one of the country’s most historic events.

In Cebu City, an estimated 300 members of the militant Cebu Citizens Assembly walked from Sto. Rosario Church to Metro Colon in the morning where a rally was held.

Though six months pregnant, 23-year-old Juvelyn Mendoza of the urban poor sector did not pass on the chance to exercise her freedom to peacefully assemble along with other members of her organization.

The housewife from Barangay Tinago told CDN that she has adding her voice to the call to end martial law fearing that the declaration might soon include Visayas.

“There might be abuses. We want peace,” she said in Cebuano.

Mendoza brought along her two-year-old daughter on a stroller during the entire protest which had militant groups chanting “Katungod sa katawhan, panalapidan!” (Protect the rights of the people).

“Let’s be free from fears of the Maute Group and Duterte’s administration especially on martial law,” said Akbayan’s Justine Balane who led the march.

“The people in Marawi already suffered from the Maute terror attack. We don’t want them to be double victims,” Balane said.

More than a hundred members of militant groups also marched from A.C. Cortes Avenue, Mandaue City to Lapu-Lapu City’s Mactan-Benito Ebuen Air Base to oppose the base’s inclusion in the Enhance Defense Cooperation Agreement (EDCA) between the U.S. and Philippines.

Protestors carrying tarpaulins, banners and flags were greeted by a crowd dispersal team at the gate to prevent them from going near the military facility.

They instead opted to hold their program meters away from the base where they lambasted the participation of US troops in government’s Marawi operations.

A cardboard bearing an image of the US flag with the words, “#1 Terrorist!” was burned.

Traffic in and out of the base from the gate in Sangi road was temporarily suspended as protestors occupied the whole road until they peacefully left at around 11 a.m.

Meanwhile, one of Cebu’s Martial Law victims during the incumbency of Ferdinand Marcos appealed to President Duterte to lift martial law in Mindanao.

“While we condemn the terrorist attacks in Marawi City, I believe it is not proper to put the rest of Mindanao under martial law,” said lawyer Democrito Barcenas.

He challenged the President to dig deeper into the root cause of the problem.

“Poverty, hopelessness, and despair bridge banditry and religious fanaticism. It is not martial law that eradicates all these problems,” he said.

Last May 23, Duterte declared martial law in Mindanao for 60 days following a clash between government troops and the Maute terror group in Marawi City, Lanao del Sur.

The conflict which has claimed the lives of 58 government troopers, 20 civilians and at least 138 Maute terrorists has triggered mass evacuations and the destruction of Marawi’s urban center.