MANILA – According to Armed Forces of the Philippines spokesman Brig. Gen. Restituto Padilla, the government may censor media, including social media, in Mindanao, which has been placed under Martial Law, to prevent the spread of disinformation and the possibility of collateral damage, or at least that is what he was taken to mean at a press conference in Davao City on Friday.
“The AFP has not recommended the suspension of the freedom of expression, but will exercise the right to censure [sic] based on the following: one, to ensure the safety of lives; second, to ensure operational security and the safety of our own men in uniform who are fighting; and for other national security considerations,” Padilla, a Philippine Air Force officer and former Philippine liaison to the United States Pacific Command (USPACOM) in Hawaii, said.
When asked to elaborate, Padilla said that the administrators of Martial Law in Mindanao are in the process of crafting guidelines on the matter, which would cover social media.
“The reason these guidelines have to be set … is because of the things that we have been seeing in the operational environment. You yourselves have seen that the tremendous disinformation clouds or creates a thick fog of war that does not allow a better operational picture, or provide a better operational picture of the battlefield. And this is one that creates a lot of collateral damage, which we want to avoid,” he explained.
Padilla urged residents to be cautious when posting or sharing information on social media, lest someone from the military suddenly come knocking on their doors.
“Kung alam ninyo na ito ay nakakasama sa karamihan at hindi nakakatulong, huwag na ninyo i-post. Baka minsan na lang katukin na lang po kayo ng pulis (If you know it’s not going to be a good thing or won’t be of help, better not go ahead and post it. You might just find yourself answering a knock on the door by the police),” he said.
Members of the Mindanao media were divided in their reaction to Padilla’s pronouncement.
Some were afraid that it might lead to human rights violations, including their own.
The guidelines will be implemented once they are finished.
In response to Padilla, lawyer Romel Regalado Bagares pointed out: “The Constitutional protections on free expression under the 1987 Constitution have not been suspended under a Martial Law situation, subject only to the requirements of the clear and present danger test … The question in every case is whether the words used are used in such circumstances and are of such a nature as to create a clear and present danger that they will bring about the substantive evils that … Congress has a right to prevent. It is a question of proximity and degree. When a nation is at war, many things that might be said in time of peace are such a hindrance to its effort that their utterance will not be endured so long as men fight, and that no court could regard them as protected by any constitutional right.”
He added that “the determination of the existence of clear and present danger is not an executive function but a judicial one.”
Meanwhile, Padilla also reminded residents to carry their identification documents and be ready with their “reason for being in certain areas”, or else they might be “held up”.
To those with unregistered, loose firearms, he told them to surrender these to the authorities so they would not be inconvenienced by “search and seizure procedures”.
He asked the public to be patient with the measures the military was taking, such as the establishment of checkpoints, and the possible implementation of a curfew in parts of Mindanao. These measures are for the “national security and safety of the people”, and would be announced early on.
“On account of the doubts that have been expressed by many quarters, we also appeal to the public that, should you see abuses on the part of those implementing Martial Law, men in uniform who are tasked to do that, we encourage you to report them. And, on our hand, we will provide you a swift probe and a quick action to ensure the accountability of our men,” Padilla said.
He maintained that Martial Law does not target “peace-inclined groups”, but noted that the administrators would enforce the law equally on anyone who would violate it.
“Again, the very basis for the declaration was to establish law and order and the rule of law in areas where this is apparently breaking down. We shall be very strict, we shall be very harsh for those committing acts of rebellion,” Padilla said.
He appealed to the public to trust that the AFP would do everything in their capacity, in line with the guidelines set by the Constitution and other guidelines that would be given to them.
Click and watch the video report of News5’s Dale de Vera below:
