Philippines President Duterte declares martial law on Mindanao island

By sam lyimo jr.

Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte has declared martial law for 60 days on the island of Mindanao, after clashes between the army and militants linked to so-called Islamic State (IS).


The violence on the southern island left three members of the security forces dead, officials say.
Mindanao is home to a number of Muslim rebel groups seeking more autonomy.

Mr Duterte made the announcement during a visit to Russia, which he was forced to cut short.
Martial law allows the use of the military to enforce law and the detention of people without charge for long periods.


During his talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin, Mr Duterte also said the Philippines needed more modern weapons to fight IS militants and other militant groups.

The violence in Marawi, a city of about 200,000 people in Mindanao, erupted on Tuesday as the army searched for the leader of a militant group that had pledged allegiance to IS, the military said.
Defence Secretary Delfin Lorenzana identified the militants as members of the Maute group. They had occupied a hospital and a jail, and burnt down buildings including a church, he added.
Marawi is about 800km (500 miles) south of the capital Manila.
The Philippine constitution says a president can only declare martial law for 60 days to stop an invasion or a rebellion.

Parliament can revoke the measure within 48 hours while the Supreme Court can review its legality.
"It is possible because of the rebellion," he added. Chancellor Alan Peter Cayetano (Alan Peter Cayetano) said 

 Duterte shortened his trip to Russia. "The president feels he needs it in Manila as soon as possible." 
 According to Russian state media reports, Duterte met with Russian President Putin on Tuesday night instead of Thursday. 

 The president said Wednesday that martial law could last for a year because he promised it would be similar to the dictatorship of Ferdinand Marcos. 
 "For those who have experienced martial law, this is no different than what President [Ferdinand] Marcos did," Duterte said. 
 "I will be strong." 

 Duterte said in a video posted online by the government: "If I need a year, if it is completed within a month, then I will be very happy."
He considers the lack of arrest to be indisputable proof that there is no active rebellion on the island, and once again called for an end to martial law. 

 Duterte's spokesman, Salvador Panello, responded to Laghman in a confused manner, that the military government must continue, precisely because there were no arrests. 
"If the insurgents are not arrested, while the insurgency continues, martial law in Mindanao must continue," he said in a statement. 

 Now, after another year of martial law, Duterte still doesn't have a large number of "insurgents" in prison. When the military rule over Mindanao seems to have finally ended, many people ask the same question: Did Duterte's martial law succeed in quelling the "insurgency"? Has there been a rebellion? If not, what results have been achieved at this two-and-a-half-year costume party? 
 Environmental activists killed and shut up reporters 

 On December 3, 2017, the 27th Infantry Battalion of the Philippine Army opened fire on the remote village of Datal Bonglangon in South Cotabato, Mindanao, killing 8 people from the indigenous community T `pen. Members of the T`boli community later stated that they believed their village was an army target because they dared to fight coffee growers infringing on their ancestral lands. The military later said that the eight victims had exchanged shots between their soldiers and the communist rebel New People's Army. 

 But human rights organizations, indigenous activists, independent forensic experts, and legal activists disputed the military version of the incident. According to a recent report by the independent regulator Global Witness, such attacks quickly became the norm under Duterte's martial law, as the military government "authorized a known army to protect commercial projects and attack their opponents." According to the local NGO Kalikasan People's Environmental Network, 19 environmental activists were killed in Mindanao in 2019 alone. The 4,444 indigenous communities and environmental activists are not the only ones who have lost their lives and made a living in anarchy. 


Martial law in Mindanao. 


 On July 10, a motorcycle attacker in Kidapawan shot and killed the radio host Eduardo Dizon. On July 3, the gunmen also fired at another location in General Santos, another city in Mindanao. Last June, Dennis Denore, the editor of a local weekly, was assassinated in Davao del Norte. These attacks on journalists are believed to have been the target of their work to expose corruption. This clearly shows that Duterte's martial law not only failed to bring order and security to Mindanao, but also created an environmental justice that can be repressed with impunity. 
 Martial law has not even prevented the flow of drugs onto the island, which is known to be one of Duterte's priorities. For example, in December 2018, the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency announced that it believed that part of the large shipment of methamphetamine hydrochloride seized in Jiameti in August 2018 had been shipped to Mindanao. 
 


Malawi remains a ghost town 


 Supporters of the extension of martial law in Mindanao also claim that it will accelerate the rebuilding of Malawi city, which was bombed by the Philippine army during the 2017 siege. However, because failed to bring law and order to the island, Duterte's military rule did not help the rebirth of the city either. 
 As of November 2019, more than 4 billion of the 10 billion pesos of the rehabilitation fund in 2018 have not been disbursed and will expire at the end of the year. More than two years after "liberation", Malawi remains a ghost town. Additionally, thousands of people who lost their homes during the siege are still struggling to survive in makeshift camps outside the city. 
 Rudan Cagoco Guiam, the leader of Moros, an indigenous Muslim community in Mindanao, told me: "Despite saving billions of pesos, the Bangon Marawi task force has not been able to fulfill its promise to rebuild Malawi. The couple ordered the destruction of Malawi. What did the government say about the economic heart of the country? ”


 New military garrisons continue military rule 


 Although it is difficult to say that Mindanao's martial law has achieved any success, it is even more difficult to be sure that the In fact, the government on the island will end in the next few days. In January 2018, the Philippine government announced plans to build a major military base in Malawi. The base has yet to be completed, but locals say that once completed, it will ensure that military control of the area continues. 

 Suara Bangsamoro, a Malawi-based civil society group, condemned the building in a Facebook post, arguing that the military camp would only "generate mistrust." 
 "Not extending the martial law is a smokescreen for even more sinister and terrifying attacks on the Moro: the establishment of a huge military camp in the center of the Islamic city it destroyed," the organization said. 

 "After burning Malawi to ashes, Duterte established a military station around civilians and committed another historic injustice against the Moro. He once regarded these civilians as a'terrorist'. 
 The martial law in Mindanao lasted for more than two years to quell an imaginary rebellion, nothing more than increasing the suffering of the local people. As the president who tends to shoot first and then ask questions continues to be in power, we are likely to be See more real and imagined rebellions on the island.

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