Duterte proclaims national state of emergency

President Rodrigo “Rody” Duterte comforts the families of the victims of the bombing incident in Davao City that left 14 people dead and over 60 others injured on Sept. 3, 2016. (Photo: Kews Bulaclac/PPD/PNA)

MANILA – President Rodrigo Duterte has signed a proclamation declaring a ‘State of National Emergency on Account of Lawless Violence,” Palace officials have confirmed Monday.

In an interview in Davao City, Executive Secretary Salvador Medialdea said the President signed the one-page proclamation shortly before leaving for the ASEAN Summit in Laos.

Medialdea said that the spate of terror attacks like kidnappings, beheadings and finally the Davao night market bombing prodded the President to issue the proclamation.

He also stressed it is not martial law, no curfew is being imposed and there is no timeline for its implementation.

“The President will decide until he sees order and safety restored,” Medialdea said.

Meanwhile, over in Malacañang, Presidential Communications Assistant Secretary for Policy and Legislative Affairs Christian Ablan said that the Executive Secretary was already on his way to Manila with the signed proclamation.

He said that among the salient points of the proclamation was the President’s order for the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) and the Philippine National Police (PNP) to undertake measures permitted by the Constitution and laws to suppress all forms of lawless violence in Mindanao.

The President also commanded the AFP and the PNP to prevent lawless violence from spreading and escalating elsewhere in the country with due regard to fundamental and civil political rights.

“The state of national emergency shall remain in force until lifted or withdrawn by the President,” Ablan said.