PH military, DND laud 3rd martial law extension in Mindanao

Senate President Vicente Sotto III and House Speaker Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo in a joint session of Congress on the third martial law extension (Photo: Senate of the Philippines/Facebook)

The Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) and the Department of National Defense (DND) lauded the decision of Congress to extend for the third time the martial law in Mindanao until the end of 2019.

Voting 235-28-1, both Senate and House Representatives, in a joint session on Wednesday, December 12, granted the request of President Rodrigo Duterte to keep Mindanao under military rule.

“We appreciate this grant that lengthens the period of martial law implementation mindful that it is impressed with enormous responsibility on the part of the Armed Forces of the Philippines to quell the rebellion that persists in Mindanao and prevent lawless violence by local terrorist groups from spreading in other parts of the country,” Military Spokesperson Brigadier General Edgard Arevalo said in a statement.

“Apart from that reason, the extension seeks not only to sustain the economic gains owing to the peace and security in Mindanao, it also responds to positively to the clamor of local government executives to extend martial law implementation in the island because of law and order it provides to their constituents,” he added.

Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana, for his part, expressed his gratitude to the Congress for approving the Chief Executive’s request.

With this, Lorenza assured Filipinos that the military troops “will continue to uphold its mandate of defending the sovereignty of our state, upholding the integrity of our territory and protecting the democratic way of life of our people, with full respect for human rights, international humanitarian law and the primacy of the rule of law.”

“Pakaiingatan po namin ang tiwalang ito mula sa sambayanan at makakaasa po kayo na hindi ito masasayang (Rest assured that we will carry with us the people’s trust and it will not be put to waste),” he added.

Presidential Spokesperson Salvador Panelo also thanked the lawmakers, calling the third martial law extension as a “positive development.”

“Public safety demands decisive action from our President, whose primordial mandate is to protect and serve the people. Further, it is our shared responsibility to ensure the integrity of our nation, the security of our people and the sustained growth and development of Mindanao,” he said.

“With the continuation of martial law and the suspension of the privilege of the writ of habeas corpus, we expect to achieve substantial progress in addressing the persisting rebellion in Mindanao, as well as promoting the overall security and peace and order situation in the island,” he added.

The spokesman also assured that the rights and liberties of all citizens in Mindanao will be respected at all times and that the uniformed men strictly in accordance with their mandate.

Stated in Article VII, Section 18 of the 1987 Constitution, Duterte can only declare martial law “in case of invasion or rebellion” or “when the public safety requires it.”

In May 2017, Duterte put the entire Mindanao under martial law amid clashes between government troops and the Islamic State (ISIS)-inspired Maute group, the group that laid siege on Marawi City on May 23 of that year.

The Congress first made the first extension when it approved Duterte’s request to make the martial law declaration last until the end of 2017. The lawmakers then voted anew in December 2017 to extend the military rule in Mindanao until the end of 2018.

The military, along with the police force, recommended the extension of martial law to Duterte, saying terrorism is still “lurking” in the area.