Martial law
TUESDAY, May 23, hours before the President’s declaration of martial law in Mindanao, the Armed Forces of the Philippines assured the public that they were in full control of the situation of Marawi City. But in a press conference from Russia, Defense secretary Lorenzana made it clear that the entire Mindanao is under martial law to allow the government to deal once and for all not just with the immediate threat posed by terrorist groups such as Maute and Abu Sayaff, but also with the Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters and the New People’s Army. So the questions must be asked: Is the localized armed encounter between government troops and an obscure group with alleged ties to ISIS in Marawi City being used as a mere pretext for the placing of all of Mindanao under martial rule?
Yes, it is within the constitutional authority of the President to declare martial law, either over the whole country or parts of it. It is understandable, too, that some quarters are getting apprehensive. The martial law of dictator Ferdinand Marcos was traumatizing, what with gross violations of human rights and civil liberties. Militarist methods ONE for dealing with social unrest could pave the way for the imposition of martial rule throughout the country, given that the same conditions of unrest and popular armed resistance may be found nationwide.
It is interesting, to say the least, that the first President to hail from Mindanao has now placed his home island under martial rule. It should be noted that this declaration has been in the works for months. The President has been dropping hints and conditioning the public for months that Mindanao is in a state of rebellion and that, consequently, he was considering the suspension of the writ of habeas corpus.
It is hoped that President Duterte and the hawks in his administration won’t be willfully ignoring the lessons of history. Armed conflict and separatist movements in Mindanao, as in the rest of the country, are rooted in the historic exploitation and oppression of the poor and marginalized – the landless and jobless peasants, the Moro and the Real solutions require genuine socio-economic and political reforms based on social justice, such as those being discussed in the peace talks, and cannot be attained by a purely military approach. Twenty years of martial rule under Marcos did not lead to peace but to the intensification of popular resistance.