Alert up in Visayas amid Marawi crisis

Police in the Visayas are on alert in the wake of the attacks by the Maute terror group in Marawi City that prompted President Duterte to put the entire Mindanao under martial law.

Chief Supt. Noli Taliño, director of the Police Regional Office in Central Visayas (PRO-7), said all police units were expected to implement target strengthening measures to secure the police stations and camps from attacks, intensify intelligence monitoring, and conduct more checkpoints.

Taliño also appealed to the public to help authorities by reporting any suspicious-looking persons and unusual activities.

Like in previous years, Taliño said they were coordinating with the Muslim community in Cebu to help avert terror attacks.

“We’ve been regularly doing that. We are asking them to support us by helping monitor new faces in their respective areas. The Muslim community here is very cooperative,” he said.

The Police Regional Office in Eastern Visayas (PRO-8) will also  conduct checkpoints and intensify patrols in the wake of what happened in Marawi, said Chief Insp. Ma. Bella D. Rentuaya, spokesperson of the regional office.

Chief Supt. Rolando V. Bade, Tacloban City police chief, said law enforcers were directed to maintain full alert status and continue  Target Hardening Measures.

“We will continue with our existing intelligence monitoring, conduct random checkpoints, Oplan Bakal Sita, mobile and foot patrol,” Bade said.

Human rights groups in Iloilo expressed opposition to martial law in Mindanao.

“The situation does not warrant martial law. This may bring more problems and abuses instead of addressing the isolated incident in Marawi City,” said Reylan Vergara secretary-general of the human rights group Panay Alliance Karapatan.

Vergara pointed out that the declaration of an “all-out war” during the administration of former president Joseph Estrada against Moro rebels in 2000 only led to abuses and failed to resolve the rebellion.

Msgr. Meliton Oso, executive director of the Jaro Archdiocese Social Action Center, said that with the declaration of martial law, “the danger of abuse under military rule is ever present.”

He said violation of human rights including illegal arrests and searches, disappearances, and torture will be among the possible consequences.

Civilians will also be caught in the crossfire, according to Oso.

“The poor will suffer the worst consequences. We hope the military will be guided by truth and justice. Vigilance is needed so that it will not overflow into the rest of the archipelago,” he said.

He said they are hoping that martial law will be lifted at the “soonest.”

The Bagong Alyansang Makabayan (Bayan) in Negros Occidental was set to hold an indignation protests at 5 p.m. on Wednesday in front of the Fountain of Justice in Bacolod City against the declaration of martial law in Mindanao.

Christian Tuayon, Bayan Negros secretary general, said they oppose the declaration of martial law in the entire Mindanao, because it will likely to lead widespread human rights violations, such as warrantless arrests and the suspension of the writ of habeas corpus.

“The problem in Marawi did not necessitate the declaration of martial law,” he said.

Marawi is just an excuse for declaring martial law, that could also be used by the Duterte administration to expand to the rest of the country, Tuayon warned.

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