It’s about time

I am normally against martial law, having lived through the last one. But I also feel using strong measures against the terrorists down South is long overdue.

I am not sure if martial law is it. But because it is the most extreme measure in our tool kit, I hope they use it effectively to eliminate that terrorist threat.

I am wondering... if President Duterte or P-Noy before him had declared martial law in Sulu, Basilan and parts of Zamboanga a long time ago, maybe the problem would have been eliminated. Or maybe not.

Or maybe martial law isn't even required. Unleashing the might of the armed forces against the terrorist group right in their home ground might have done it without declaring martial law over such a wide area.

Hopefully, martial law in Mindanao works well enough within the 60 days constitutional limit. I doubt it. But hopefully it will be able to contain the terrorists enough to prevent the problem metastasizing to the Visayas and even Luzon.

The problem with martial law is it can be tempting for a president to see it as a short cut to solve problems... as it offers relief from the pressures of the democratic space. It is like the war on drugs that turns a blind eye to the killings of drug suspects because it is the fastest and cheapest way of eliminating those seen as part of the problem.

Like the President, we have reached the end of our patience with these troublemakers. It's about time we do what it takes to eliminate the terrorist threat.

Actually, we should have taken more drastic measures against the terrorists after they started kidnapping for ransom and beheading hostages. They saw we were not outraged enough with their horrible acts. They got emboldened and raised the terror level.

Because we know they cannot exist without the help of some communities, we should have taken strong military measures even if that would entail some amount of civilian casualties. After all, by giving them support, the civilians are effectively terrorists themselves.

 I was listening to the governor of the ARMM as he was being interviewed on DZMM the night the Marawi fighting broke out. The governor, who heads the Autonomous Region for Muslim Mindanao, called on fellow Muslim civilians to unite in fighting the terrorist group.

Our peaceful Muslim brothers are as concerned as we are. They don’t like the serious disturbance in their lives the terrorists have caused. They know they are not safe in the hands of this extremist terrorist group. That explains the massive evacuation of Marawi City residents to safer areas.

Maybe martial law will help the military and police forces deal with the immediate emergency. But we have to be vigilant that martial law does not become the norm for governance in Mindanao or in the country.

At the hands of a president who seems to regard the Constitution as only a compilation of suggestions, it is easy to abuse the continued use of martial law powers. The President could also be testing the waters to see how far he can go with martial law.

Indeed, it is just as easy to declare martial law in Metro Manila. It shouldn’t be difficult to simulate a disturbance in a crowded area, such as a bomb explosion, and blame the Abu Sayyaf or some other terrorist group to justify martial law.

The government does not even have to be behind the simulated justification, nor do we need an Enrile to simulate an ambush. The communist New People’s Army, for instance, has the capability and the motive to instigate a nationwide declaration of martial law.

During the Marcos martial law era, the communist movement grew in numbers and influence by capitalizing on the very harshness of the martial law regime that President Duterte said he wants to emulate.

And since martial law is a virtual dictatorship, many who claim to be supporters of the President will take advantage of his absolute powers to abuse the country and its people. We all saw how the cronies of Mr. Marcos enriched themselves during the martial law years.

But for now, the most urgent business is to neutralize, if not eliminate the terrorists in Marawi. Government forces should also go directly to the terrorist lairs in Basilan and Sulu and eliminate their base of support. They have taken advantage of our reluctance to bring a full scale war into their doorsteps to avoid civilian casualties.

Now, it is about time we dealt with this long festering threat. But let us do a quick surgical approach. A prolonged martial law regime is not in our interest because it pushes aside the Constitution and converts our government to a one man rule. We have seen that movie before. No one in his right mind will want to see that movie again.

Most importantly, we should not forget that the Muslim areas in Mindanao are among the poorest in the country. Programs to promote the economic well being of the residents of ARMM should not have to wait until we agree on a basic framework for autonomous government.

Young Muslims suffering extreme poverty are easy recruits for the terrorist groups. They are brainwashed about a so called cause and are given allowances that amounts to a salary paying job. We need a crash program to offer alternative livelihoods like those discussed during negotiations for the basic framework for the Bangsa Moro government.

While the conflict in Mindanao has deep cultural and religious roots, the economic aspects have a lot to do with current peace and order problems. I think that was what the European aid program we rejected was helping address.

I remember the late Datu Toto Paglas showing me his vast banana plantation and introduced some of his supervisors who were former MNLF commanders. Datu Toto said that because he has given them jobs, enabled them to send their children to school and opened up opportunities for them and their families, they will never bear arms again.

I realize, too, that we have wasted a lot of money in the past trying to help our Muslim brothers govern themselves. Our political leaders allowed the Muslim leaders to enrich themselves from the taxes we paid, but left most of their people in dire poverty. The opulence of the lifestyle of the Ampatuans during the Arroyo regime is a good example.

I am sure President Duterte, who knows their situation well, should be able to craft an effective program to help our Muslim brothers improve their economic outlook. We need a two-pronged campaign: eliminate the head-chopping terrorists and help the impoverished uplift themselves.

Martial law alone will not pacify Mindanao. The Spaniards and the Americans have tried to use force and failed… so have our Filipino-led governments since 1946. We need new approaches and the economic development aspects will prove to be the most important.

Boo Chanco’s e-mail address is [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter@boochanco