Vigilance on lawless state urged

WHILE deferring to  President Duterte in placing the country under a “state of lawless violence,” Sen. Leila de Lima on Sunday called for public vigilance to protect civil rights with the military poised to join the police in law enforcement in the wake of the deadly bomb attack in Davao City on Friday night.

“While it is for the President to decide what powers are needed to respond to the current situation, it is also for the people to be vigilant that the government response to the crisis does not result in the restriction of their civil liberties and political rights,” said De Lima, who has been accused by Mr. Duterte of protecting drug lords when she was justice secretary under former President Benigno Aquino III.

Albay Rep. Edcel Lagman said Mr. Duterte’s move in the wake of the bombing that left 14 people dead and scores wounded was “alarming” yet “legally unnecessary” since the President could call out the military even without such declaration.

“What has been happening unabated and with impunity are the extrajudicial killings perpetrated by police authorities and their civilian cohorts,” Lagman said. “State violence begets violence by nonstate actors.”

Hours after the bombing, Mr. Duterte announced he was declaring a “state of lawless violence” in the country to combat the drug menace, runway criminality and the Abu Sayyaf banditry.

 Not martial law

The President said this did not mean he was imposing  martial law and stressed that the writ of habeas corpus remained and that there would be no curfew.

He explained that the declaration would simply allow the military to join the Philippine National Police in securing the nation “in accordance with my specifications.”

Presidential Communications Secretary Martin Andanar, speaking on state-run Radyo ng Bayan, on Sunday acknowledged concerns over the President’s declaration and said Malacañang had completed drafting the proclamation, which would be released soon.

“The Armed Forces of the Philippines was included to better ensure the security of the country,” Andanar said.

“We have to accept the fact that our government is on serious war against illegal drugs and serious war against terrorism in Sulu in Basilan, and these terrorists will always find a way to retaliate,” Andanar said. “We are facing a faceless enemy, and the best way is to get our act together as government and as one people,” he added.

Earlier, presidential spokesperson Ernesto Abella said the declaration was based on a constitutional provision, which states: “The President shall be the Commander in Chief of all Armed Forces of the Philippines and whenever it becomes necessary, he may call out such armed forces to prevent or suppress lawless violence, invasion or rebellion.”

The AFP spokesperson, Brig. Gen. Restituto Padilla, told the Inquirer  in a phone interview that the public should expect increased visibility of military and police personnel. There has been no significant troop movements so far, he said, except in Davao.

Not to worry

Sen. Panfilo Lacson, a former national police chief, on Sunday sought to ease concerns over the President’s action.

“There is nothing to worry about the President’s declaration of state of lawlessness. Nevertheless, to avoid confusion, especially among our law enforcement officers and the public as well, very clear guidelines must be issued by concerned authorities as soon as possible,” Lacson said when asked for comment on the President’s declaration.

Lacson called on the President to acquire high-technology equipment, particularly intelligence-gathering tools, to boost law enforcement capability.

He said this should be part of preparations for amendments of the Anti-Wiretapping Law, which seeks to include drug-related crimes among exemptions to the bar on eavesdropping.

 ‘Intelligence nightmare’

“Terroristic acts are always an intelligence nightmare to state authorities. The Davao blast underscores the need to enhance our signal (electronic data transmission) intelligence capability, in anticipation of our impending amendment to the Anti-Wiretapping Law expanding the  list of covered offenses to be exempt,” Lacson told the Inquirer in a text message.

“I would urge the President to start investing on the necessary technical equipment that could save the lives of innocent civilians who are the natural targets of terrorists to accomplish their objective of sowing fear and creating maximum impact,” he said.

He called Friday’s attack a “sarcastic challenge” to the President, theorizing that “it could only be perpetrated by a group that do not acknowledge the fear factor instilled by the Duterte administration or maybe one that is being severely damaged or hurt by the ongoing no nonsense offensive operations by the government.”

Not unusual

Senate Minority Leader Ralph Recto urged the President to immediately call for a meeting of the National Security Council (NSC) after his trip to Laos “so that other leaders of the nation could help him develop policies and programs that would crush the resurgent Abu Sayyaf.”

Recto, who was invited to the first NSC meeting that gathered four former Presidents in Malacañang on July 27, said “there is a need for a multipartisan discussion on the best way forward in these troubled times.”

“If he is looking for a template in shaping policy, then his expert handling of the NSC provides the best example,” Recto said.

Buhay  Rep. Lito Atienza urged the public to stop “overanalyzing” the President’s declaration of a national state of lawlessness.

“It’s not unusual for a Chief Executive to show extra muscle and call out the troops amid attempts by the enemies of the state to sow bedlam,” Atienza said, pointing out French  President Francois Hollande did the same after the Paris bomb attacks last November. With reports from Tarra Quismundo, Leila B. Salaverria, Dona Z. Pazzibugan and Jaymee T. Gamil