Extended martial law for ‘hot spots’ mulled

MANILA, Philippines — Martial law extension in Mindanao should be enforced but only in known trouble spots, the Western Mindanao military chief, Lt. Gen. Cirilito Sobejana, said on Sunday.

In an interview over radio station dzBB, Sobejana said that if martial law was extended beyond Dec. 31, it should only cover certain areas in Mindanao “because there are areas that do not need it anymore.”

The Armed Forces of the Philippines Western Mindanao Command chief cited Davao, Cagayan de Oro, Dipolog and Tacurong cities as well as Sultan Kudarat as among the localities that no longer need to be placed under martial law, describing these areas as “relatively peaceful.”

Limited to BARMM

A possible extended martial law period, Sobejana pointed out, would only be limited to the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM), “but everything is dependent on our assessment of our effort.”

“Selective [coverage]. I don’t recommend [martial law extension] in the whole of Mindanao. [Only] in those areas where we still see problems in terms of security, delivery of services,” he said.

He said the BARMM still had problems in security, particularly from threats posed by the Abu Sayyaf group, the Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters and remnants of the Maute group.

The declaration of martial law in Mindanao or Proclamation No. 216 was issued by President Duterte on May 23, 2017.

Initially, it was only for 60 days but was extended until Dec. 31, 2017. Another extension of its coverage period was made until Dec. 31, 2018, but martial law in the entire region was again extended until the end of this year.