Military: No to martial law in entire country
Placing the entire country under martial law, as proposed by some sectors, has never crossed the collective mind of the military, its spokesman said.
Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) spokesperson Brig. Gen. Restituto Padilla said he saw no need to extend martial rule to the entire country.
“Do you see the need for that to be done? Let’s not raise the Martial Law bogey because there is nothing (of that sort),” he said in a press briefing.
Padilla said an assessment is still ongoing to determine whether it would be necessary to extend martial law beyond the 60-day period allowed by the 1987 Constitution. President Rodrigo Duterte declared martial law in Mindanao on May 23, shortly after the Marawi siege erupted. The 60-day period will end on July 22.
“The declaration of Martial Law (in Mindanao) and its possible extension is dependent on the assessment that will be done by the AFP. The assessment is not yet done, so I cannot answer that as of yet,” Padilla said when asked on whether the military will recommend an extension of martial law.
Once the assessment is done along with their recommendation, it will be forwarded to Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana, the martial law administrator, who will then forward it to President Duterte who will then review it.
“The declaration of martial law goes out of effect at the end of 60 days and the recommendation and decision to extend it must (be) done before it ends,” Padilla said.
Under the 1987 Constitution, martial law is only limited for 60 days and needs the approval of Congress for its extension.
“We are already on the 50th day of the martial law declaration which started on the 23rd of May, so we have 10 days to go. The recommendation must reach the Secretary (Lorenzana) before that time, and it must reach the President or the Commander-in-Chief,” Padilla pointed out.
As of this yesterday, the death toll from the Marawi siege has increased to 510, including 381 terrorists, 90 government troops, and 39 civilians.
Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana, for his part, assured the public that “if martial law is extended, they can continue to trust their defense and security establishments since every decision we make and operation we undertake is anchored on the rule of law and respect for human rights.”
Lorenzana said the public can trust government troops to protect them and advance their best interest.