Sison sees more rights violations amid Martial law extension

MANILA, Philippines — Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) Founding Chairman Jose Maria Sison warned on Thursday that the extension of the martial law in Mindanao until the end of next year would result into more “gross and systematic” violations of human rights in the region.

“The gross and systematic violation of human rights in Mindanao will certainly escalate,” said Sison in a statement.

“As the unnecessary and egregious martial rule by Duterte will expand nationwide, the violations of civil, political, economic, social and cultural rights of the people will surpass the rate and proportions of martial rule under the Marcos fascist dictatorship,” he said.

Sison added that the inclusion of CPP and the New People’s Army (NPA) in the grounds for the said extension directs a plan of a martial law declaration throughout the country.

President Rodrigo Duterte, in his letter to Congress requesting for the extension of military rule in Mindanao, cited a recommendation from Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana that placed as grounds the “eradication” of Islamic State-inspired terrorists, other terror and armed groups, and other “communist terrorists and their coddlers, supporters and financiers.”

On Wednesday, the Senate voted 14-4 while the House voted 226-23 extending the proclamation of martial law and the suspension of the writ of habeas corpus in Mindanao until end of next year, affirming to the request of the president.

Meanwhile, Kabataan party-list Representative Sarah Elago also warned of the same circumstance, saying that there were around 14,000 cases of human rights violations in the five-month-long battle in Marawi City based on evidence from the regional human rights commission of the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM).

Sison also said that the Duterte administration has “no moral and political standing” to say that they always adhere to the rule of law and for the protection of the rights and interest of the people.

“It is already discredited and will become far more discredited by engaging in the terror tactics already announced by defense secretary Lorenzana,” Sison said.

“These terror tactics include the mass arrest of the leaders and members of the legal democratic forces and opposition parties, extortions from businessmen outside of its control and monopoly of business privileges and mass murders and political assassinations of suspected revolutionaries or mere dissenters,” he added.

Sison, Duterte’s former professor,  also took a swipe against Duterte, calling the latter a “puppet president” of the United States.

He added that “patriotic and progressive” officers of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) are “aghast” by the cancellation of the peace negotiations just when both panels were about to enter the fifth round of talks.

“Military officers of the AFP who are patriotic and progressive are seriously concerned that Duterte is misusing the AFP and PNP [Philippine National Police] as if these were his personal armies,” Sison said.

“They are critical of the promotion of officers on the basis of their friendship and personal loyalty to Duterte. But they are most aghast by his termination of the peace negotiations between the GRP and NDFP…” he added.

Sison also said that military sections that are against Duterte are readying to lead in the withdrawal support from the latter after this development.

“The anti-Duterte sections of the AFP and PNP are expected to spearhead the withdrawal of support from Duterte and coordinate with the growing mass movement in order to overthrow him in the same way that Marcos and Estrada were overthrown,” Sison said.