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Mindanao mayors wary of order stripping them of police powers

John Unson - Philstar.com

July 6, 2017 | 8:24am

Mindanao mayors wary of order stripping them of police powers

A policeman stands at a checkpoint in Manila, Philippines, Wednesday, May 24, 2017 as the Philippine National Police is placed under full alert status following the declaration of martial law in Mindanao southern Philippines. Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte warned Wednesday that he'll be harsh in enforcing martial law in his country's south as he abruptly left Moscow to deal with a crisis at home sparked by a Muslim extremist siege on a city, where militants burned buildings overnight and are feared to have taken hostages. AP/Aaron Favila

LANAO DEL SUR — Local officials are apprehensive the suspension of their control over municipal police offices will embolden outcast militants to expand recruitment of prospective jihadists in their turf.

Mayors in Maguindanao and Lanao del Sur on Thursday said the Resolutions 2017-334 and 2017-335 of the National Police Commission, which stripped them of function to oversee municipal police forces, could be a serious transgression of the Local Government Code.

The code, also known as Republic Act 7160, empowers mayors and provincial governors to exhaust all legal means, as provided for by its provisions, in maintaining law and order in their respective municipalities and provinces.

The resolutions were released on Wednesday by the central office of Napolcom, citing alleged involvement of local officials in acts inimical to national security as a reason for the revocation of their powers over the local police.

Seven provincial governors, among them Esmael Mangudadatu of Maguindanao and Soraya Bedjoria Alonto-Adiong of Lanao del Sur, and 132 mayors, mostly in the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao, were the subject of the Napolcom resolutions.

Mangudadatu said on Thursday that lawyers in the provincial government will appeal for reconsideration.

“Perhaps we need to cite in that appeal the accomplishments of the Maguindanao peace and order council in addressing domestic peace and security issues, including the settlement of more than 30 clan wars in recent years and the prevention of the expansion in far-flung areas of misguided militants groups,” Mangudadatu said.

He said he is optimistic the Napolcom will respond positively to their petition to rescind the resolutions, now being drafted by lawyers.

“We in the province were the first to condemn, through strongly worded statements, the bloody siege in Marawi City by the Maute terror group. We also helped the military foil several attempts by radical groups to hoist the flag of the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria in far-flung areas in Maguindanao in recent weeks,” Mangudadatu said.

The Napolcom resolutions affected 26 of the 36 mayors in Maguindanao.

Mangudadatu said local officials in the province are also open to any inquiry into their feats in pushing forward the anti-narcotics campaign of President Rodrigo Duterte.

Members of the Lanao del Sur provincial peace and order council, whose members include Marawi City Mayor Majul Gandamra, remained puzzled on what could have really precipitated the Napolcom resolutions.

The troubled Marawi City is the capital of Lanao del Sur. Lanao del Sur and Maguindanao are both component provinces of the ARMM.

The resolutions also suspended the power over the local police of Sulu Gov. Sakur Tan, Jr. and 13 of his constituent-mayors.

Also subjected to same resolutions were Basilan Gov. Jim Hataman and 10 mayors in the island province.

Sulu and Basilan are also both in the autonomous region, which also covers Lamitan City.

Sultan Kudarat Gov. Pax Mangudadatu, whose province is under Region 12, and Gov. Imelda Quibranza-Dimaporo of Lanao del Norte in Region 10 were also mentioned in the Napolcom resolutions.

ARMM Vice Gov. Haroun Al-Rashid Lucman told The STAR Thursday that they were “demoralized” by the Napolcom resolutions.

“It drastically weakened the capability of local government units to defend constituent-barangays from attacks by Maute terrorists,” Lucman said.

Lucman, an ethnic Maranaw, said he is worried of the safety now of several mayors in the second district of Lanao del Sur who declared Omar and Abdullah Maute, founders of the ISIS-inspired Dawlah Islamiya, both “persona non grata” after the trouble in Marawi City erupted.

The Maute siblings and their followers laid siege to Marawi City on May 23, sparking hostilities that have since dragged on.

“These mayors also declared their towns `off limits’ to Maute terrorists but how can they do that now? We are in dangerous times now indeed,” Lucman said.

Lanao del Sur Vice Gov. Mamintal Adiong, Jr. said his office will also urge the Napolcom to reconsider the enforcement of the two controversial resolutions.