Peace in Mindanao via martial law

The super majority of President Rodrigo Duterte at the 17th Congress submitted anew to his will. With 261 affirmative votes from both chambers, the administration-controlled Congress approved by overwhelming votes President Duterte’s request to extend martial law in Mindanao by five more months, or until December 31, 2017.

The first martial law in Mindanao took effect last May 22 under Proclamation 216 issued by President Duterte following the siege in Marawi City by Islamic State (IS)-influenced bands of Maute and Abu Sayyaf terrorists.

In special sessions of Congress held at the Batasang Pambansa in Quezon City, Senate president Aquilino Pimentel III and House Speaker Pantaleon Alvarez delivered the Joint Resolution that approved the extension of martial law a few hours before the first martial law for 60 days lapsed last Saturday.

Voting jointly, the cumulative numbers for those opposed to extend martial law in Mindanao garnered a measly 18 “No” votes. Of the total 18 “No” votes, four came from the Liberal Party (LP) Senators headed by Senate minority leader Franklin Drilon.

Although they voted “No,” the four Senators indicated they would have approved it but only to limit extension by another 60 days only, or less. Drilon tried but failed to convince fellow Senators to amend the Joint Resolution to limit the period of extension.

Pimentel and 15 other Senators who belong to the super majority voted “Yes” for martial law extension up to the end of the year. Saying they also preferred a much shorter extension of martial law, Senate president pro tempore Ralph Recto and Sen. Grace Poe cast their qualified “Yes” votes.  

Three Senators, namely Nancy Binay, Leila De Lima, and Antonio Trillanes IV, failed to attend the special sessions to cast their votes. Binay and Trillanes were still abroad while De Lima remains in detention at Camp Crame while undergoing trial on various criminal cases.

On the part of the House of Representatives, Alvarez delivered the super majority votes of 245 “Yes” votes as against 14 “No” votes. The super majority votes included all lawmakers from Mindanao led by the Speaker who like the President hails from Davao. But 32 house members were absent. Their number though falls short to overtake majority votes.

Three of the 14 House “No” votes came from LP ranks also, namely: Reps. Teddy Baguilat of Ifugao, Christopher Belmonte of Quezon City, and Edcel Lagman of Albay.

The rest of them included Reps. Gary Alejano of Magdalo; Lito Atienza of Buhay; Camarines Sur (LP) Rep. Gabriel Bordado Jr.; Arlene Brosas and Emmi de Jesus of Gabriela; Ariel Casilao of Anakpawis, France Castro and Antonio Tinio of Alliance of Concerned Teachers; Sarah Jane Elago of Kabataan; Tom Villarin of Akbayan; and, Carlos Zarate of Bayan Muna.

Notably, seven of the “No” votes were cast by left-leaning party list representatives supposedly allied with President Duterte – Brosas, de Jesus, Castro, Tinio, Casilao, Elago and Zarate.

Even before gavels were banged to signal the start of the one-day special sessions of Congress, the predicted outcome was already secured beforehand. But President Duterte did not take any chances and sent to Congress his entire Cabinet members led by Executive Secretary Salvador Medialdea and top security, police and military officials to help convince Congress into approving a martial law extension in Mindanao.

On the eve of the special sessions of Congress, President Duterte, however, did not even bother to plead the case for extension of martial law. As far as he is concerned, the President impressed upon a public gathering in Davao City last Friday that he would strive his best to resolve the peace and order problems in Mindanao during the remaining five years of his term, with or without martial law.

It was spoken perhaps not from his typical braggadocio. 

The President merely demonstrated to his troopers the trust and confidence he has to the full capability of both the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) and the Philippine National Police (PNP) to end the Maute siege in Marawi City sooner than later.

This, President Duterte personally saw for himself after he finally was able last Thursday to fly to Marawi City on third attempt. As the Commander-in-chief, he went straight in the middle of the battlefields where he joined government troopers fighting the Maute siege. With his Kevlar bullet-proof vest under his camouflage uniform and his side firearm tucked at his belt, President Duterte even got flaks anew from his bitter critics for imagined disrespect to the uniform.

It was not the first time though that a sitting President pulled such stunt. Former President Joseph Estrada did the same thing when he flew to join troopers after having overrun Camp Abubakar in Basilan, the former stronghold of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF).

Before the final voting though, the public testimonies of Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana, National Security Adviser Hermogenes Esperon Jr. and AFP chief of staff Gen. Eduardo Año were revealing and certainly worrisome. In the proceedings aired live on radio and TV, Lorenzana and Año as martial law administrator and implementor, respectively, admitted in public declassified information. Many of us perhaps are now having sleepless nights at the thoughts of Mindanao troubles to spread out.

For the next five months of extended martial law in Mindanao, all government forces would be focused to contain IS-influenced threat groups in order to prevent a spillover to other parts of the country in Visayas and Luzon. The AFP and PNP earlier foiled an Abu Sayyaf attempt in Bohol. Still, this is not very reassuring.

For his part, Esperon retraced the beginnings of these IS-influenced groups from the MILF, and the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) to which the government have peace pacts with. And how about the New People’s Army (NPA) rebels operating also in Mindanao after President Duterte suspended for now peace talks with communist groups?

The President is expected to sell anew his proposed shift to federalism while also pushing for the passing into law of the proposed Bangsamoro Basic Law (BBL) as amended under his administration.

Today, President Duterte will deliver his second state of the nation address (SONA) in joint convening anew of the 17th Congress for the ceremonial opening of their second regular sessions. With bated breath, let’s listen to what his peace formula would be in Mindanao via martial law.