Coincidence or not, the arrest of a suspected Maute terrorist bomber in Cagayan de Oro comes just as the Supreme Court has ended oral arguments on the legality or validity of President Rodrigo Duterte’s declaration of martial law in Mindanao.
Mohammad Noaim Maute, alias Abu Jadid, is said to be related to the Maute brothers who led the siege in Marawi City, and is a trained bomber who refused to disclose who or what his targets were.
Police said he used a fake ID card that identified him as a student of Mindanao State University. That claim would, in part, justify the President’s order to declare martial law and lock down the whole island region to prevent the Maute terror group from escaping to God knows where.
Cagayan de Oro City sustained a bomb attack at a commercial district a few years ago, and Maute’s presence brought back memories of that tragedy.
In justifying the declaration of martial law, President Duterte raised the possibility that some of the terror suspects would blend in with the refugees who left Marawi City, making it difficult for the police or military to detect their presence.
While Central Visayas remains on high alert not only due to the Marawi City siege but also last month’s Abu Sayyaf misadventure in Bohol province, the Supreme Court is questioning whether the declaration of martial law or a state of emergency would have been better enforced in Marawi City and its neighboring areas only.
It is for the public’s benefit that opposition lawmakers and groups raise the issue of martial law in Mindanao to the Supreme Court for deliberation if only to ensure that the checks and balances aspect of democracy is in full working order.
And it is good to hear President Rodrigo Duterte say that he will respect the Supreme Court’s decision on the martial law issue even as the High
Tribunal has still to determine whether or not the proclamation was justified.
What is clear is that the Maute terrorist threat is real and serious; and combined with the ever-present menace of the Abu Sayyaf bandits, they cast a dark shadow of dread and terror in towns, provinces and cities of Mindanao which they hope to expand to the Visayas and Luzon.
Can this terror threat be contained without use of martial law? According to its opponents, it’s possible to do so, citing the Zamboanga City siege that broke out during the Aquino administration as an example.
But those who witnessed the ongoing Marawi City siege say otherwise. The Maute terror group came prepared and ready to die or use underhanded tactics such as using residents for human shields to attain their objective.
While the Supreme Court and the administration’s critics may question and challenge the government’s declaration of martial law, they should not act like backseat drivers and dictate on the administration how to do its job on cracking down on the terrorists.