MANILA, Philippines – While the administrator and implementor of martial law in Mindanao earlier expressed confidence that clashes in Marawi City between government troops and the Maute rebels would soon be over, President Rodrigo Duterte can’t say the same thing and thus is also uncertain on when he will lift military rule in Southern Philippines.
“When will it end? I do not know. Hanggang hindi sinabi ng pulis pati Armed Forces na safe na ang Philippines [As long as the police and the Armed Forces don’t say that the Philippines is already safe], this martial law will continue,” Duterte said Sunday, May 28, at the Armed Forces’ Camp Teodulfo S. Bautista in Brgy. Bus-bus, Jolo, Sulu.
Last Friday, Defense chief and martial law administrator Delfin Lorenzana said he was “looking at maybe not more than a week” for the strife to end while Armed Forces chief Gen. Eduardo Año, chief martial law implementor, said their target was to resolve the problem in Marawi “within 60 days to even shorter or not more than 60 days.”
But two days later, the President was unable to give the same timetable and said that he would not listen to calls from other individuals and groups to end martial law in Mindanao including those from the Supreme Court and Congress because they didn’t know what was happening on the ground.
“Hindi ako makinig sa iba. Mga Supreme Court, ‘yong mga congressman, wala man sila dito. Ba’t sila ba ang nagpapakamatay? Sila ba ang naghihirap dito?…They will suffer the wounds of war?
[I will not listen to others. The Supreme Court, the congressmen, they’re not here. Are they the ones putting their lives on the line? Are they the ones enduring hardships here?…They will suffer the wounds of war?]
“Sila ba ‘yong nagtitiis? Sila ba ‘yong namamatay na nauubusan ng dugo, bleeding? Naghe-hemorrhage, kay walang tulog, walang reinforcement. Hindi sila.”
[Are they the ones suffering patiently? Are they the ones dying because of blood loss? Suffering from hemorrhage, lack of sleep, and don’t have reinforcement? No, they are not.]
Duterte said that if the military and the police would tell him that it’s not yet the time to lift martial law and the lifting would only make matters worse, then he would have no choice but to continue military rule in Southern Philippines.
“Pero kung sabihin ng Armed Forces pati pulis na, ‘Sir hindi pa talaga panahon, mas maglala ito.’ Then I will just tell them that, you know, don’t f*** with me. Eh ayaw ko nga ‘to eh, dumating naman ito, o ‘di sige.”
The chief executive proclaimed martial law in Mindanao last May 23. Under the 1987 Charter, the President may only declare martial law in cases of invasion or rebellion when the public safety requires it and the effectivity of the declaration can only last for 60 days.
The Constitution also states that, “Upon the initiative of the President, the Congress may, in the same manner, extend such proclamation or suspension for a period to be determined by the Congress, if the invasion or rebellion shall persist and public safety requires it.”
Koko: ‘The sooner threat is neutralized, the better’
Meanwhile, Senate president Aquilino “Koko” Pimentel III on Sunday said that “the sooner this threat is neutralized, the better it will be for the people of Marawi and Mindanao.”
He likewise urged Filipinos to view the President’s declaration of martial law in Mindanao “as a decisive step that was necessary to neutralize terrorist elements who could claim more lives, as well as to suppress lawless violence and rebellion.”
“President Duterte knows that at this point, extraordinary measures are necessary to contain this threat, and those of us from Mindanao understand that. The rest of the nation should understand this as well,” said Pimentel.
The Senate leader also said that “as long as” as the government troops “operate within the bounds of our Constitution and our laws our people have nothing to fear.”
Clashes between the Maute group and government troops resulted in the death of at least 100 people, AFP spokesperson Col. Edgard Arevalo said Monday, May 29.
Sixty-one of the fatalities were from the Maute Group, 20 were from government forces, while 19 were civilians, who were trapped in the war.
