. SERIOUSLY NOW World is watching

The declaration of martial law in Mindanao seems not to bewilder most Filipinos, as this was made in the backdrop of the siege of Marawi by the Maute Group allegedly affiliated with Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL). The assurance from the government that this is meant for the safety, lives and property of the public in Mindanao and implemented within the framework of the 1987 Constitution has muffled dissent from some sectors wary of the continuing iron-fist policies of President Rodrigo Duterte.

For those who experienced the dark side of martial law under the dictator Ferdinand Marcos, the suspension of civil rights and the use of the superior might of the military must be bringing back horrific memories of warrantless arrests, illegal detentions, tortures, disappearances and salvaging.

While the circumstances may be different, there is that suspicion on the reasonableness of Proclamation 216. For Marcos’ dreaded Presidential Decree 1081 was after all made under a veil of lies and false promises. Juan Ponce Enrile confessed as his fate hanged on a thread prior to the 1986 People Power Revolution, that the ambush upon his person that helped initiate martial law was fake and staged. The call for a New Society and for the establishment of Maharlika were nothing more than facades for the perpetuation of Marcos’s rule and for the prosperity of his family and cronies.

Let us give the benefit of doubt that Duterte’s move is done in good faith and is meant to put an end to lawlessness in Mindanao. Yet Marcos’ martial law could not contain the Muslim secession movement and the New People’s Army as far as I can remember. Will martial law for 60 days be time enough for Duterte to resolve the crisis?

And the world is watching, as we are watching the world. For the period that Duterte has been in power, the foreign media has shown hostility to the government’s alleged state-sponsored extra-judicial killings and repression of human rights as exemplified by the imprisonment of Sen. Leila de Lima. The declaration of martial law in Mindanao and threat to include the Visayas has not been helpful to the negative perception on the president.

With the accessibility of mainstream and social media, Filipinos can compare the Mindanao crisis to other incidents such as the Manchester Arena attack in UK where no martial law was declared, as the police and investigators went about doing their business in pursuing the culprits and keeping the public safe.

Is there more than the Maute group, that the government should place the whole of Mindanao and maybe Visayas under martial law? It is only if the government is transparent about the crisis and the threats can it obtain a consensus of support for Proclamation 216. We need to know, for never again do we want a return to a Marcos type of military rule.