Time for Martial Law in the Philippines?

Ayoko makipag-giyera (I do not want war) but do not force my hand into it.” – President Rodrigo Roa Duterte (Manila Times, December 1, 2016)

The President has repeatedly given warnings to terrorist groups not to force his hand into war and not to force his hand to declare martial law. However, after all the attacks supposedly orchestrated by the Maute group and Abu Sayyaf, the recent attack in Marawi could have been the last straw for the President. We all know that President Duterte always prioritizes the needs of the people, which is why it was not a surprise when he immediately decided to go back to the Philippines after getting news of what was happening in Marawi City.

Fortunately, his visit to Russia was not in vain because five hours before his flight back to the Philippines, he was able to meet with President Vladimir Putin who adjusted his schedule to meet our beloved President which shows how much they respect President Duterte. This incident has also shown how much the President, who is willing to endure another 10 hours of flight, truly cares for his people.

To deal with the terrorist problem and crisis in Marawi City, President Duterte has declared martial law in the entire Mindanao. Some are questioning whymartial law covers the whole Mindanao instead of just Marawi? I believe it’s not a secret to anyone that the main nesting area of terrorist groups is Mindanao. Therefore, we must put into consideration that once the military is able to push back the Maute group from Marawi, they could easily transfer their attack in the neighboring area or they could instigate another attack in other cities in Mindanao. Whatever the case, the point here is that there is some information only available to the President which makes him the best person to decide on what course of action to take. I think it’s also understandable for the government to be ready for worst case scenarios and prepare for the possible tactics of the enemy in order to fully protect innocent civilians, which is the primary reason for declaring martial law.

Let us not let the past cloud our judgement in martial law. While it is a must that we should be vigilant for cases of abuse and to report it immediately, it should also be understood that the power of the President to declare martial law has not been removed for a reason, and that is to protect the safety of the Filipino people as stated in the 1987 Constitution Article VII, Section 18. This is the reason why, if you watch several interviews with some residents in Mindanao, they understand the need for martial law because it’s their and their families’ lives that are being threatened by the terrorist groups. In a video from PTV, one resident from Marawi said “Mas Mabuti pa na i-declare itong martial law, dahil alam natin na ang naghawak dito sa Mindanao, ang mga terorista. So dapat i-declare niya… para matulungan ang mga katulad naming mga sibilyan” (It’s better to declare Martial law, because we know that Mindanao is a stronghold for terrorists. So he needs to declare [Martial law] to help civilians like us.)

Yes, it’s understandable for some people to be afraid of martial law because of the past, but we must not let this blind us from what our brothers and sisters in Mindanao are experiencing. We should also consider the feelings and perspective of those living in Mindanao, especially in Marawi who currently fear for their lives. There’s a difference between fear caused by history and fear because of what's happening at present, there are no cases right now that the Martial Law is being abused but the threat of terrorist groups is now evident in Marawi. Several lawmakers have also allayed fears of possible abuses citing safeguards provided in the Constitution. Nevertheless, this is not the time tocast distrust in our military or the Commander-in-Chief, this is the time where we must stand together and condemn the actions of the terrorist groups. This is the time to let them know that if they continue to harm innocent Filipinos and disrupt peace, we have a government that is not afraid to hunt them down to the last man.

We have a President who will do everything, in line with the constitution, to protect his people. When President Duterte declared Martial law, I believe it was not a hasty and easy decision as others would make you believe. The terrorists have neglected the repeated warnings of the President and they continue to harm innocent civilians, and as promised, President Duterte will now deal with them harshly. Let us believe in our President who has proven himself to be a man of action who will now act to protect his people against our real enemy at this time, the terrorists.