State of national emergency due to violence in Mindanao ends
MANILA, Philippines — President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. lifted a state of national emergency, which had been declared by his predecessor nearly seven years ago in response to “lawless violence” in Mindanao
Proclamation 298, signed by Executive Secretary Lucas Bersamin on Tuesday, said the conditions that prompted former President Rodrigo Duterte to declare a state of lawlessness “have been significantly mitigated or reduced.”
“Through successful focused military and law enforcement operations and programs that promote sustainable and inclusive peace, the government has made significant gains in improving and restoring peace and order in the region,” the proclamation read.
The current administration said the move will boost economic activity.
Duterte issued Proclamation 55, which declared a state of lawlessness in September 2016 following an explosion in his hometown Davao City that killed at least 14 people and wounded dozens.
Duterte said in the proclamation that there had been a spate of violence and lawless acts across Mindanao, including abductions, murder of civilians, highway robberies and extortions, attacks on military outposts, and assassinations of journalists.
The declaration ordered the Armed Forces of the Philippines and the Philippine National Police to suppress forms of lawless violence.
In May 2017, Duterte declared martial law in Mindanao after Marawi City was stormed by homegrown terrorists loyal to the Islamic State. The marial law declaration lapsed by the end of 2019. — Gaea Katreena Cabico
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