Specter of nationwide martial law looms closer

MANILA - President Rodrigo Duterte is not discounting the possibility that martial law in Mindanao will be expanded to Luzon and Visayas.

Asked about the possibility of declaring martial law nationwide, the President said on Wednesday, December 13, that he would not permit anyone to cause harm under his watch.

"At this time, all options are on the table. All options are on the table. There is only one rationale there, the existence of the Republic of the Philippines. You threaten the existence of the Republic of the Philippines, I am sure that everybody will react and do what he must do to prevent it," he said.

He said the hostile and provocative actions of the "enemies of state," such as sowing terror and undermining his government, might spur him to declare martial law throughout the country.

"It is up to the enemies of the state. If the NPA (New People's Army) said they are recruiting en masse, and they create trouble, and they are armed and are about to destroy the government, the government will not wait until the dying days of its existence," he said in an interview with reporters in Taguig City Wednesday.

"The government can always preempt and prevent that disaster. To what extent, what level of atrocities or attacks, it is not for me to say that. It is for the armed forces and the police," he added.

Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque Jr. on Thursday, December 14, said the President has the "extraordinary power" and legal mandate, in accordance with the 1987 Constitution, to impose one-man rule in the entire country.

"Of course, martial law is always an option because it is one of the three extraordinary powers of the President as the Commander-in-Chief," Roque said in a press conference in Malacañang.

"So with factual basis then, he can impose martial law nationwide. But that's what he meant by possibility. It's there in the Constitution. So it can always be utilized by the commander in chief," he added.

Congress, in a joint session on December 13, granted the President's request for a oneyear extension of martial law in Mindanao to allow the police and military to eradicate all terrorist groups and armed lawless elements in Mindanao, such as the NPA and Daesh-inspired Da'awatul Islamiyah Waliyatul Masriq (DIWM) as well as their coddlers, supporters, and financiers.

Mindanao has been under military rule since May 23, when fighting broke out between the Maute terror group and government forces in Marawi City in Lanao del Sur. Under the Constitution, martial law may be declared for 60 days if there is an actual rebellion or invasion and when public safety requires it.

Upon the recommendation of President Duterte before the expiration of his martial law proclamation on July 22, Congress extended it to December 31, 2017. With the additional extension, martial law will be in effect in Mindanao from January 1 to December 31, 2018.

Roque said the President is capable of placing the whole country under martial law, as long as he has "factual and legal" grounds to do so.