Palace maintains President’s MO 32 not for ML, not election-related

Presidential Spokesperson and Chief Presidential Legal Counsel Secretary Salvador Panelo holds a press briefing for the Malacañang Press Corps (MPC) on Monday, November 26, 2018, at the New Executive Building (NEB) in Malacañang. (Photo: Office of the Presidential Spokesperson/Facebook)

As critics speculate the President’s recent order to reinforce additional police and military forces in some areas of the country, Malacañang maintained that the directive was issued to address the “series of acts committed against civilians, against soldiers, and policemen” in the said areas.

In a press briefing, Presidential Spokesperson and Chief Presidential Legal Counsel Secretary Salvador Panelo on Monday, November 26, said that this is part of the government’s move to counter any communist program from whatever source.

This was in relation to President Rodrigo Roa Duterte’s Memorandum Order (MO) No. 32, dated November 22 and signed by Executive Secretary Salvador Medialdea, that directed the Philippine National Police (PNP) and the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) to deploy more forces in the provinces of Samar,  Negros Oriental, Negros Occidental, and the Bicol Region. This, after “a number of sporadic acts of violence have occurred recently” in said areas were “committed by lawless groups,” according to the MO.

“Maraming (There are a lot of) incidences of terrorism, of ambushes, of killings, kaya kailangan talagang mag-deploy ng mga troops doon (that is why it is necessary to deploy troops in those areas),” Panelo added.

In the same press briefing, the media asked the Palace’s reaction to the statements of Senator Panfilo “Ping” Lacson and former Bayan Muna Representative Neri Colmenares, with both questioning the motive behind the MO.

Lacson, a former PNP chief, earlier told dzBB that there was no need to deploy additional forces to the areas, when the government could have just re-deployed soldiers and police from those areas with lesser threats.

The senator added, behind this order, Malacañang might be planning to declare martial law (ML) or suspend the writ of habeas corpus.

“Well we repeatedly said if there was an intention, it would have been declared, but there is none,” Panelo clarified.

The spokesperson also stressed to the media that while the move was ‘not necessary’ for Lacson, for Duterte, as the President, there was a need for it.

On the other hand, senatorial candidate Colmenares told GMA News Online that the issuance of the MO may be used against the opposition running for the incoming midterm election. Though the Palace immediately denied the allegation, Panelo said that Colmenares “should be happy.”

“Even if it (the MO) has anything to do with that (election), the more Mr. Colmenares should be happy about that, the more we will be securing the area during election time,” the spokesperson said.

“The memorandum precisely and expressly says that we should respect the rights of the individual. That Memorandum 32 was done pursuant to the constitutional duty of the President to protect and to serve the people,” he said emphasizing on a clause of the MO.

Panelo also said that the MO was not just a preemptive move of the government to address the acts lawless violent acts, but “a reaction to what is happening,” reiterating that the directive was to address the “incidents of killings, of ambushes, of destruction or properties in those areas.”