By Ian Nicolas P. Cigaral
Reporter
FIVE YEARS of martial rule in Mindanao, as proposed by House Speaker Pantaleon D. Alvarez, “might be too long,” the military said on Monday.
New reports earlier quoted Mr. Alvarez as saying he would convince other lawmakers to extend martial law’s duration in Mindanao to the remainder of President Rodrigo R. Duterte’s term.
‘INTELLIGENT BASIS’
In response, Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) Spokesperson Brigadier-General Restituto F. Padilla, Jr. said at Monday’s press briefing in Malacañang:
“Actually, five years might be too long for the moment.”
He added, “’Di ko alam kung ano ang pinagbabatayan ni Speaker. Maaring may impormasyon siya na di namin hawak (I don’t know the Speaker’s basis. He might have information that we don’t have).”
Mr. Padilla said the Army’s job is to make a recommendation on the suitability of rescinding martial law based on “intelligent basis,” noting that the judgement on whether the proclamation must be extended is a “political decision.”
Clashes between government forces and the pro-Islamic State (IS) Maute militants broke out in Marawi on May 23 — triggering what may be the biggest internal security crisis in the Philippines since the siege of Zamboanga City in 2013.
Mr. Duterte, in his Proclamation 216, declared martial law and enforced warrantless arrests over Mindanao on the first day of the battle to foil what he said was Maute’s plan to establish a caliphate for IS.
Yet the urban warfare, despite being under a regime of martial law, has dragged on for seven weeks — surpassing the three-week siege of Zamboanga City in 2013.
Proclamation 216 is only effective for one more week.
Mr. Duterte has maintained he wants the conflict to be over soon but his decision on whether or not to prolong martial law in Mindanao would depend on the recommendation of troops on the ground.
According to Mr. Padilla, security officials are still evaluating the developments in the besieged southern city, adding that the martial law recommendation for the President is “already being done.”
“In a few days it will be submitted to the [Defense] secretary for his consideration because he is the administrator of martial law, and that recommendation will make its way up to the commander-in-chief who will be provided an advance copy,” he said.
For his part, Presidential Spokesperson Ernesto C. Abella said of Mr. Alvarez’s remarks that the Speaker has “clarified that his remarks to extend martial law until 2022 is his personal opinion.”
The 1987 Constitution has set safeguards on martial law by limiting its enforcement to 60 days and allowing the Supreme Court and Congress to review the proclamation.
This is to prevent a repeat of the abuses under dictator Ferdinand E. Marcos, who detained his critics during his martial rule and used this to stay in power for another 14 years. Mr. Marcos was overthrown in 1986 by a People Power revolution.
Voting 11-3-1, members of the High Court sitting in full court last week dismissed the consolidated petitions challenging the sufficiency of the factual basis of Mr. Duterte’s martial law declaration.
However, the court has yet to act on two other petitions filed against Proclamation No. 216 seeking to compel Congress to convene and deliberate on the declaration.
‘IMBECILIC’
For its part, the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) slammed the government’s “plan” to extend martial law in Mindanao and criticized Mr. Duterte’s decision to solely rely on the military in deciding when to end the declaration.
“It is imbecilic to seek advi(c)e from the AFP whose officers now admit it did not even know the strength of the so-called Maute Group when the AFP laid siege on Marawi,” the CPP said.
“Now Duterte listens to it to tell him when it will be over,” it added.
The communist rebels also denounced the intensified offensives by state forces against leftist fighters amid the military rule, adding that sustained aerial bombardments in Marawi “(have) been proven a failure.”
“Civil and political rights continue to be violated by checkpoints, random searches by AFP soldiers, threats against the right to express views, and so on,” the CPP said.
‘DISTURBING NARRATIVES’
Mr. Padilla, also in his briefing on Monday, said Maute gunmen are forcing children and their hostages to participate in the firefight in Marawi based on “disturbing narratives” from escapees.
He said those who disobeyed the extremists’ order were shot dead — prompting other captives to fight alongside Maute.
“Disturbing as it is, our troops are doing their best to avoid any casualty among these children that are being employed,” the military spokesperson nonetheless assured the public.
However, Mr. Padilla also emphasized that in the event that the hostages and children are “armed” and “involved” in the crossfire, there is “nothing much” that the soldiers can do.
“When our soldiers’ lives are at risk, they take appropriate measures to defend themselves and that is allowable even by the Geneva Convention. So there’s no question about that,” he said.
“But every time we have an opportunity to rescue a child or an individual who is being forced into the fight, we will do that,” he added.
More than 500 people have been killed in the fighting, including 89 soldiers and police, 39 civilians and 379 militants, according to figures released by the government on Monday.
Nearly 400,000 civilians have fled their homes.
Mr. Padilla said troops are still pursuing 80 to 100 militants in the war-torn city, among them, hostages coerced to fight and foreign combatants who have joined forces with the Maute terrorists.
The military earlier said Islamist fighters are using children and women as human shields, while earlier reports claim that the Maute group has been training kids, believed to be aged 7 to 16 years old, for combat.
“Our efforts on the ground are also focused (on) rescuing civilians who are still trapped. And there are still quite a number, especially elderly (who) are monitored to still be in the area and we will seek to rescue them,” Mr. Padilla said. — with AFP
