Palace on interfaith rally vs martial law: Democracy in action
KADAMAY members at the National Housing Authority rally against the demolitions in Sitio San Roque and protest President Rodrigo Duterte’s possible expanding of Martial Law beyond Mindanao. INQUIRER FILE PHOTO/LYN RILLON
The inter-faith rally against Martial Law to be held in Manila on Monday is a sign of the vibrancy of Philippine democracy, Presidential Spokesperson Ernesto Abella said yesterday.
Abella said the rally, dubbed “National Day of Prayer and Action for Peace and Human Rights,” at the Andres Bonifacio Shrine beside the Manila City Hall showed that democracy remained strong in the country.
Abella quoted President Rodrigo Duterte’s oft-repeated line, that “He may not agree with what you say, but he’ll defend to the death your right to say it.”
“This right includes the right to air people’s grievances, including opposition to the proclamation of martial law in the whole island of Mindanao,” Abella said.
Catholic and Protestant church leaders, current and former lawmakers, and cause oriented groups are joining the rally to show their opposition to Martial Law and their support for peace and human rights.
They are asking the President to lift it immediately as the Supreme Court prepares for oral arguments tomorrow on the pending petitions against Martial Law.
The interfaith rally would be held from 3:30 p.m. to 6 p.m. “to show our opposition to martial law in Mindanao and possibly other parts of the country,” according to the unity statement signed by the organizers of the rally.
The signatories included former Senate President Aquilino “Nene” Pimenetel Jr., former senators Rene Saguisag and Wigberto Tanada, Manila Auxiliary Bishop Broderick Pabillo, and militant party-list Representatives Carlos Zarate, Emmi de Jesus, and Antonio Tinio.
“We call on all people to come to the aid of thousands of internally displaced persons in Lanao del Sur and nearby areas. Likewise, we gather to show our opposition to martial law in Mindanao and possibly other parts of the country,” they said.
“We call for an end to the aerial bombardment of Marawi and other conflict areas. As the Marcos dictatorship showed, martial law is not the answer to the complex problems of Mindanao,” they added.
The organizers also called for the continuation of the peace talks between the government and the National Democratic Front of the Philippines (NDFP), the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF), and Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF).
“Only by mutually addressing the roots of the armed conflicts can all parties hope to forge a just and lasting peace for our people,” they said.
The rally calling for the lifting of martial law in Mindanao coincided with the country’s commemoration of Independence Day.
Duterte earlier placed the whole Mindanao under martial law in a bid to contain the attack in Marawi City and eliminate the terror group Maute, which rampaged through the city and pledged allegiance to the Islamic State or ISIS.
READ: Duterte insists: Martial law not meant to keep me in power
Thirteen Marines were killed during the 14-hour firefight in Marawi City against the Maute terror group on Friday. It was the government’s biggest single day loss since the fighting ensued almost three weeks ago.
With the deaths of 13 Marines, the latest casualty toll among government troops rose to 58, on top of the 138 militants and 20 civilians killed since soldiers battled out with Maute terrorists in Marawi.
The US has pitched assistance in the conflict as US spy planes flew over Marawi City conducting surveillance and non-combat assistance, even as Duterte rejected US aid and asserted the country’s independent foreign policy.
READ: US spy planes helping Philippine troops in Marawi
