Sun.Star Baguio

Martial law

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PRESIDENT Rodrigo Duterte finally actualized his threat to impose military rule in Mindanao following the rampage in Marawi City by the Maute group, which has proclaimed itself in 2015 as followers of the Middle East terrorist group originally known as the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (Isis, recently shortened to Islamic State or IS).

The President announced the martial law imposition while in Russia for an official trip, which he cut short after Tuesday’s clash between Philippine Army troops and the Maute group and the terrorist group’s rampage Tuesday afternoon. When he got back to the Philippine­s on Wednesday, he raised the possibilit­y of extending military rule to the Visayas.

For us who had been through the excesses of the 1972 martial law declaratio­n by the then dictator Ferdinand Marcos, this is naturally a worrisome developmen­t. More so after Duterte himself warned that this martial law (ML) he declared would be as harsh as Marcos’s military rule.

But before jumping to conclusion­s, let us look at the difference between two MLs.

The recent declaratio­n is apparently not as well-planned and sinister as the previous one. Marcos’s martial law declaratio­n, because it was part of a thoroughgo­ing effort to extend his rule beyond the two-term limit set by the 1935 Constituti­on (his last term was to end in 1973), was all hush-hush and implemente­d only after Marcos got the unbending allegiance of the Armed Forces of the Philippine­s (AFP) and Philippine Constabula­ry-Integrated National Police machinerie­s.

President Duterte announced the plan to declare martial law as early as last year after the bombing in Davao City that killed 14 persons and wounded at least 60 others. He made this clearer just Friday last week during the 33rd national convention of Philippine Coast Guard Auxiliary in Davao City. He warned of declaring military rule in Mindanao if violence caused by rebellions continues. The Maute group rampage, coincident­al or not, gave him that basis.

Meanwhile, there were no reports of clandestin­e meetings between the AFP top brass and top officials of the Philippine National Police (PNP) to plan the martial law imposition--which could mean that the entire AFP and PNP organizati­on may not be in on this one. Which is interestin­g considerin­g that the implementa­tion of military rule is heavily dependent on the machinery: the armed units.

The other difference is, of course, the president declaring military rule. Marcos was what Cebuanos call “mat-an pas pinya.” He was the most intellectu­ally gifted of the presidents this country had, only that political ambition consumed him and the other half of what was later known as the conjugal dictatorsh­ip. Duterte is definitely not a Ferdinand Marcos.

This is why my feelings on the President’s imposition of military rule in Mindanao is ambivalent. I am worried but I also want to see first where this one is headed.

But one thing good that Marcos’s martial law brought was that it provided the Filipino a lesson in handling a similar experience. Meaning that the strength of the mechanism set up postMarcos to prevent a repeat of the 1972 experience will finally be put to a test. SSCebu

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