President Rodrigo Duterte has turned Mindanao into a “martial law laboratory” to test the sustainability of “full authoritarian rule.”
Opposition senator Risa Hontiveros said this after the Palace announced that it is looking at the possibility of extending the martial law in Mindanao.
READ: Palace: There might be need to extend martial law if…
READ: Senate to study possible extension of martial law in Mindanao
“The entire Mindanao is under Martial Law for more than 500 days already. This is on top of the declaration of a state of national emergency last year in response to the Davao City bombing. Post-Marcos, this is now the longest-running Martial Law in the country,” Hontiveros said in a statement on Thursday.
“Is this now the new normal in the region? Or is Mindanao Duterte’s guinea pig for [a] complete authoritarian rule? Is Mindanao now the President’s laboratory for his dangerous experiment to impose Martial Law all over the country?” she added.
The senator added that despite the implementation of martial law in the region, “lawless violence persists.”
She cited the killing of five anti-drug agents and the bombings in Sultan Kudarat in August and September, which killed five people, as among the examples of violence in the country.
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“President Duterte justified the declaration of Martial Law in Mindanao by saying that he needed the measure to provide peace and order in the region,” Hontiveros said.
“However, the continued injury and loss of life, this time of both civilians and police personnel, proves that a Martial Law-centric approach to curb violence and promote peace has failed to achieve its purpose,” she added.
The senator also argued that what Mindanao needs is a multi-dimensional approach that weaves together effective law enforcement, equitable distribution of social services, and the full implementation of peace agreements, including the Bangsamoro Organic Law (BOL).
“President Duterte must recognize and address the deep historical, political and cultural roots behind the prevalence and persistence of violent conflicts in Mindanao. As a Mindanaoan, he should know this,” she said.
“The declaration of Martial Law in Mindanao is not a magic bullet that would eradicate rampant violence and lawlessness in the region. Only petty tyrants resort to such lazy, dangerous and simplistic solutions,” she added.
Moreover, Hontiveros cited a Social Weather Stations (SWS) survey conducted in December 2017 that showed 62 percent of Filipinos were against the extension of martial law in Mindanao.
A similar survey in Ateneo de Davao, where the President studied in high school, however, revealed that 59.8 percent of the respondents did not favor martial law’s extension in Mindanao. /ee
READ: 62% oppose martial law extension in Mindanao – SWS