Local protesters slam martial law
Over a thousand protesters from Northern Mindanao yesterday took to the streets their rage on the various human rights violations under Martial Law of former President Ferdinand Marcos and President Rodrigo Duterte.
Led by the Movement Against Tyranny-Northern Mindanao Region (MATNMR), the group marched from the capitol grounds to Magsaysay Park in Divisoria to remember the grim past of Marcos’ declaration of Martial Law, 46 years ago.
Demonstrators, coming from different organizations of farmers, lumad, urban poor, church, among others, continuously called the Duterte administration to end the military rule in the island.
MAT-NMR spokesperon Father Roland Abejo said the Martial Law of Marcos and Duterte has no difference as both declarations resulted to numerous accounts of rights abuses.
“The Filipino people are outraged with the anti-poor campaign under the guise of Martial Law declaration of the Duterte administration in Mindanao,” Abejo said.
The group claims that the so-called war against terror continues to target civilians especially the farmers that pursues genuine land reform; indigenous people who champions defence of ancestral domain and right to self-determination; and the urban poor that seeks to improve their living.
Abejo said leaders of various peoples’ organizations, political activists and even those who work for the church and community have also been the common targets of the administration’s silencing of critics.
“Despite these, victims of human rights violations continue to voice out complaints and seek for justice that is rightfully theirs,” Abejo said.
Rights group Karapatan in Northern Mindanao has continued recording different accounts of rights abuses allegedly perpetrated by government security forces since Martial Law was declared last May 23, 2017.
The data showed that most of the victims are helpless lumads and farmers in the hinterlands who were forced to flee their homes due to “intense militarization” in the communities. Karapatan-NMR also noted the “fake and forced surrender” of lumads in some communities in Bukidnon.
Abejo said leaders of progressive groups have been crying foul over the “desperate move” of the state security agents whom they suspect of hanging tarpaulins in public places and spreading materials on social media bearing the face of some rights defenders which are meant to discredit their character.
“Human rights violations and repression of the rights to self-determination are some of the many faces of Martial Law faced by the people in Mindanao. It aims not against counter-terrorism,
but subjugation against the regime’s most vocal critics,”Abejo said.
“We adamantly reiterate that the Martial Law of Duterte is a tool of suppression against the rights and liberties of the people and being such, it has no difference with the Martial Law of Marcos era. Let us not stay fence-sitting while the killings, tyranny, oppression, exploitation and social turmoil continue to damage our nation,”he added.