PRESIDENT Rodrigo R. Duterte has ordered the immediate deployment of more troops to “suppress lawless violence and acts of terror” in the provinces of Samar, Negros, and the Bicol Region.
Executive Secretary Salvador C. Medialdea, by order of the President, signed Memorandum Order No. 32 on Nov. 22 directing the Department of National Defense (DND) and the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) to coordinate the immediate deployment of additional forces of the Philippine National Police (PNP) and the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) to the provinces of Samar, Negros Oriental, Negros Occidental, and the Bicol Region.
The memorandum noted that “a number of sporadic acts of violence have occurred recently” in the said areas, “which appear to have been committed by lawless groups.”
“There is a need to reinforce the directive of the President in order to prevent further loss of innocent lives and destruction of property and bring the whole country back to a state of complete normalcy as quick as possible,” the memorandum stated.
“At all times, the constitutional rights of every individual shall be respected and given due regard” by the AFP and the PNP, it added.
“No civil or political rights are suspended during the existence of a state of national emergency on account of lawless violence. In particular, the AFP and the PNP are enjoined to observe existing rules and jurisprudence in instances that may justify the implementation of warrantless arrests, searches and seizures, as well as ensure compliance with guidelines for police/military checkpoints and stop-and-frisk situations,” the memorandum said.
In a statement, Presidential Spokesperson Salvador S. Panelo cited the “wave of lawless violence” in Samar, Negros, and Bicol.
Mr. Panelo cited incidents in Samar that involved the ambush of soldiers who were providing relief to victims of a typhoon, an armed attack at a police station, an ambush attack against the 63rd Infantry Battalion, and assault on the former mayor of San Jose de Buan.
In the province of Negros Oriental, Mr. Panelo said there were “torching of heavy equipment in Manjuyod, strafing of the house of the barangay chairman, attack of police detachments, and the killing of a police chief in separate occasions in Guihulngan.”
He also mentioned the attack against the 62nd Infantry Battalion while they were conducting clearing and combat operations in preparation for the barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan elections in Kabankalan and the massacre of nine farmers in Sagay in Negros Occidental.
“The Bicol Region has also suffered from a series of instances of lawless violence which include the ambush of the convoy of Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Director-General Nela Charade Puno in Camarines Sur, firefights in Lagonoy, and clash in Bato, among others,” Mr. Panelo added. — Arjay L. Balinbin

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