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Tag: Martial Law in Mindanao

The dissenting voices

Of the four members of the Supreme Court who dissented from the majority decision upholding President Duterte’s declaration of Martial Law and suspension of the privilege of the writ of habeas corpus in the whole of Mindanao, three ( Chief Justice Maria Lourdes Sereno, Senior Associate Justice Antonio T. Carpio, and Associate Justice Alfredo Benjamin S. Caguioa) supported him as far as Marawi City was concerned.

Senior Associate Justice Antonio T. Carpio
In his dissenting opinion, Carpio said, “Without question, the widespread killing of both government forces and innocent civilians, coupled with the destruction of government and private facilities, thereby depriving the whole population in Marawi City of basic necessities and services, endangered the public safety in the whole of Marawi City. Hence, with the concurrence of an actual rebellion and requirement of public safety, the President lawfully exercised his Commander-in-Chief powers to declare martial law and suspend the privilege of the writ in Marawi City.

“However, the same does not apply to the rest of Mindanao. Proclamation No. 216 and the President’s Report to Congress do not contain any evidence whatsoever of actual rebellion outside of Marawi.

“In fact, the Proclamation itself states that the Maute-Hapilon armed fighters in Marawi City intended to remove “this part of Mindanao,” referring to Marawi City, from Philippine sovereignty. The Proclamation itself admits that only ‘this part of Mindanao’ is the subject of separation from Philippine sovereignty by the rebels. The President’s Report did not mention any other city, province or territory in Mindanao, other than Marawi City, that had a similar public uprising by a rebel group, an element of actual rebellion. Thus, the President’s Report concludes that ‘based on various verified intelligence reports from the AFP and the PNP, there exists a strategic mass action of lawless armed groups in Marawi City.’ The President’s Report expressly states that the Maute-Hapilon armed fighters were waging rebellion first in Marawi City as a prelude or “precedent” to waging rebellion in the rest of Mindanao. This is a clear admission that the rebellion was only in Marawi City and had yet to spread to the rest of Mindanao. “

Bringing stupidity to another level

Justice Secretary Vitaliano Aguirre in a press briefing spreading fake news.

Justice Secretary Vitaliano Aguirre probably thought the public would buy his tale linking opposition lawmakers to the Maute terror group which is one of the reasons for the current turmoil in Marawi City.

It only affirmed his stupidity.

As social media commenter Joel Vivas tweeted, “Kakaibang level.”

Pained voices from Mindanao

Evacuation center. Photo by Erwin Mascariñas

There’s so much pain and suffering in their voices and they all have a common message: End the airstrikes in Marawi , lift Martial Law in Mindanao and resume peace talks.

In a gathering of persons and groups from Mindanao last Thursday, stories about panic, fear, hunger and fatigue since the declaration of martial Law by President Duterte last May 23 were shared.

Norkaya Mohamad said in normal times, it takes only 45 minutes from Marawi to Iligan City. When they fled Marawi last week, it took them eight agonizing hours.

Duterte bestows ISIS status on Maute group

By Charmaine Deogracias
VERA Files

Before May 23, 2017, the band of bandits operating in the Lanao area called Maute Group was nothing but an armed network of clans with familial ties to the Moro Islamic Liberation Front. But the Maute Group is now an international terrorist organization, thanks to President Rodrigo Duterte and his declaration of martial law in Mindanao.

What is referred to in military and police reports as a local
group has now been renamed Maute ISIS. Armed Forces of the Philippines chief of staff Eduardo Año on Friday said the AFP is considering classifying the group as an international terrorist organization.

Why Trillanes did not vote for Senate resolution approving declaration of Martial Law in the whole of Mindanao


Sen. Antonio Trillanes IV is one of the five senators who did not vote for Senate Resolution 388 “Expressing the sense of the Senate supporting Proclamation No. 2016 dated May 23, 2017 entitled “Declaring a State of Martial Law and suspending the privilege of the writ of Habeas Corpus in the whole of Mindanao and finding no cause to revoke the same.”

Following is the transcript of Trillanes’ explanation for his negative vote.

TRILLANES: Let me just make it clear that my negative vote for this resolution does not mean that I do not support the military operations going on right now or that I do not sympathize with the people of Marawi and the people of Mindanao. I believe all of us here are supportive and we salute the efforts of the AFP, we laud their sacrifices for the country and we want to support them as best we can. But the issue here is about the correct response or the proportionate response of the government to this crisis, which I believe that this declaration of Martial Law for the whole of Mindanao is not the correct response. And in fact, we heard it during yesterday’s security briefing, the AFP and their defense establishment didn’t even ask for it.