President rallies allies in Congress to support extension of martial law

Protesters display placards during a rally near the Presidential Palace to protest the extension of martial law in the whole of Mindanao island in southern Philippines Tuesday, July 18, 2017, in Manila, Philippines. President Rodrigo Duterte has asked Congress to extend martial law in Mindanao until the end of the year or by more than five months, saying the existing rebellion there will not be quelled completely by July 22, the end of his 60-day martial law proclamation.
AP Photo

President Rodrigo Duterte wants to extend martial law in Mindanao until the end of the year.

Duterte, in a letter to Congress, said the “existing rebellion” in Mindanao would not end on July 22, the 60th day in the limit prescribed by the Constitution.

“Upon a thorough personal assessment of the current situation in Marawi City and other parts of Mindanao and taking into account the reports and recommendations of the Secretary of National Defense as martial law administrator, the chief-of-staff of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) as martial law implementor and the chief of the Philippine National Police (PNP), I have come to the conclusion that the existing rebellion in Mindanao which prompted me to issue Proclamation 216 on 23rd May 2017, will not be quelled completely by the 22nd July 2017 — the last day of 60-day period provided under Section 18 Article VII of the 1987 Constitution,” Duterte said in a message read by Presidential Spokesperson Ernesto Abella in a Palace briefing.

“For this reason and because public safety requires it, I call upon the Congress to extend until 31st December 2017 or for such a period of time as the Congress may determine the proclamation of martial law and the suspension of the privilege of the writ of habeas corpus in the whole of Mindanao,” Duterte’s message added.

The President met with lawmakers on Monday night in Malacañang to express his intent to extend his martial law decree.

Congress will convene on Saturday to tackle the President’s request.

Support

House Speaker Pantaleon Alvarez on Tuesday led administration allies in expressing support for the extension of martial law in Mindanao.

Alvarez, who supported extending martial law until the end of Duterte’s term, claimed the public favored the declaration of martial law in Mindanao to address the threat of terrorism there.

In the latest Social Weather Stations (SWS) survey, 57 percent of 1,200 respondents said “it is just right that he (Duterte) declared it in the entire Mindanao.” At least 29 percent said “it should have been declared only for Marawi City and the province of Lanao del Sur” while 11 percent said “it should have been declared only for Marawi City, the province of Lanao de Sur and nearby provinces.”

Meanwhile, majority of respondents disagreed that Duterte should also declare martial law in Luzon and Visayas.

“In all surveys, pabor ang taumbayan sa declaration ng martial law sa Mindanao, na-appreciate nila kung gaano kabigat ang problema (In all surveys, the people expressed their support for the declaration of martial law in Mindanao, they have an appreciation of how big the problem is),” he added.

In Cebu, 1st district representative Gerald Anthony “Samsam” Gullas supports the extension of Martial Law in the entire island of Mindanao until the end of 2017.

“I would agree for the extension of martial law in the whole Mindanao. Because the provinces there are so close together, you can just travel by road from one province to another. The attacks in Marawi City should be contained, and must not spread to neighboring places. For me, it is important the entire island be put under martial law (until 2017 ends),” Gullas said.

No rush

Senator Risa Hontiveros has sought for a thorough deliberation for the extension of martial law after President Rodrigo Duterte recommended a 60-day extension of the military rule in Mindanao.

Hontiveros said asking for a martial law extension is not as easy as ordering from a fast-food restaurant.

“While I look forward to the joint session that Congress will convene on this matter, hindi dapat madaliin ang prosesong ito (this process should not be rushed),” Hontiveros said in a text message on Tuesday.

“Ang paghingi ng martial law extension ay hindi parang umoorder lang sa Jollibee. Congress is not a fastfood restaurant,” she said, alluding to a popular local fast-food chain.

Hontiveros stressed that the public has the right to transparent, thorough and deliberative proceedings within which they can be informed of the factual bases of the declaration of martial law in Mindanao and its possible extension.

“From the top of my head, these are some of the questions that need to be answered:

1. How did the declaration of martial law in Mindanao help in fighting the Maute terrorists, logistically, militarily and legally? This despite the admission of no less than the Solicitor General that martial law has no legal difference from the President’s normal powers to “call out” the military.

2. What are the specific elements of martial law that contributed to curbing the terrorist threat in Marawi?

3. What are the compelling reasons that would justify the extension of martial law in Mindanao?

4. How would the extension of martial law help in fighting and defeating terrorism?” she said.

Human rights lawyer Democrito Barcenas disapproves of extending martial law.

“Martial law, for whatever place or period, will not solve our problems. It will only worsen them as what happened during the time of former president Ferdinand E. Marcos. Mr. Duterte must learn the lessons of history,” Barcenas said on a text message sent to Cebu Daily News.\