OPINION
PHILIPPINE ASIAN NEWS TODAY May 16 - 31, 2017
Martial Law in Mindanao:
Why we oppose it
Tinig Migrante
By E. Maestro
The declaration of mar-
tial law (oftentimes referred
to as “ML”) in Mindanao hit
freedom-loving Filipinos,
including those overseas,
with anger and triggered
memories and experienc-
es of growing up, living,
and working under martial
law imposed by dictator
Ferdinand Marcos (1972-
1986). It was and remains
one of the darkest periods
in Philippine history and if
we are not vigilant and if
we do not continue to op-
pose Duterte’s imposition
of martial law in Mindanao,
our fragile freedoms and lib-
erties may all be sacrificed
in the altar of militarization
and counter-insurgency.
International condem-
nation is loud and strong
from overseas Filipinos and
friends of the Filipino peo-
ple. The violence in Mind-
anao was done by bandit
groups supported by the
CIA, like the Maute and Abu
Sayyaf. Again, the military
uses the old refrain of un-
rest and the presence of the
guerrilla New People’s Army
as the reasons for martial
law. From the time of Mar-
cos and post-Marcos re-
gimes, right-wing militarists
have been consistent with
using these reasons for the
intense militarization and
relentless
counter-insur-
gency operations against
the people.
Duterte’s rhetoric, and
he has made nationalist-
Rappler
sounding declarations, are
not always matched by his
actions. He still is protec-
tive of the interests of the
military, the big landlords
and the big corporations,
local and foreign. The mili-
tary remains a force to con-
tend with and its “all out
war” against the NPA-CPP
has not wavered. Military
leaders expose their non-
desire for the peace talks to
progress successfully and
they have acted to under-
mine the current peace ne-
gotiations.
Bayan Canada, the
Canada-wide alliance of
Filipino progressive groups
and organizations, issued
its strong statement con-
demning martial law in Min-
danao and of standing in
solidarity with the people
of Marawi. Tinig Migrante
quotes Bayan Canada on
the reasons why it opposes
ML in Mindanao and they
are as follows:
1. (It is) Historically di-
sastrous. Philippine history
has shown us the disastrous
effects of martial law under
then dictator Ferdinand Mar-
cos, who President Duterte
reportedly said he would
model his version of mar-
tial law in Mindanao after.
Many victims and families
of the victims of Marcos’s
martial law are now com-
ing out in strong opposition
to the imposition of mar-
tial law in Mindanao to say
NEVER AGAIN!
Photo: CBCP News
2.
Known
human
rights violators will admin-
ister martial law. The same
militarists who have perpe-
trated gross human rights
violations in Mindanao and
elsewhere in the Philippines
are now administering mar-
tial law in Mindanao. Al-
ready in the following days
since the declaration of
martial law in Mindanao,
people’s rights are curtailed,
their freedom of movement
hampered, media and so-
cial media censored and
people deemed to violate
“public” security through
their activities in the media
and social media are threat-
ened with arrest. This is
not to mention that people
are prohibited from joining
public demonstrations and
are threatened with mass
arrest under martial law, ef-
fectively muzzling social and
human rights activists and
removing their freedom of
expression to oppose such
rule.
3. Martial law will in-
tensify military operations.
Under martial law, civilians
are subjected to an inten-
sification of military opera-
tions such as aerial bom-
bardments, illegal arrests
and detentions, military
occupation of communi-
ties, extrajudicial killings,
torture and all sorts of hu-
man rights violations. The
military already has the re-
sources to stop the Maute
and other bandit groups
in Marawi without putting
the whole Mindanao under
martial law.
4. Martial law more
likely a power play of US
imperialism. Martial law in
Mindanao only serves the
interests of US imperialism
in the region, maneuvering
to wrest control from the ci-
vilian government and give
more power to their puppet
militarists in Duterte’s own
government. With huge US
economic interests in Mind-
anao, including investments
in natural resource extrac-
tion through oil explora-
tions, mining, etc. Further-
more, given the Philippines’
geopolitical importance in
US imperialism’s pivot to
Asia, the US has more to
gain in keeping Duterte in
WWW.PHILIPPINEASIANNEWSTODAY.COM
check through giving more
power to the Armed Forces
of the Philippines.
5. Martial law in Min-
danao just a first step to-
wards implementation in
the whole of Philippines.
Already the Duterte govern-
ment has alluded to extend-
ing martial law from the ini-
tial 60-day period to a year,
extending the declaration to
include parts of the Visayas
and possibly Luzon.”
6. More than ever, civil-
ian authority must prevail.
Now, more than ever, the
on-going peace negotia-
tions between the National
Democratic Front of the
Philippines and the Philip-
pine Government must be
supported if we are ever to
have any hope of ending the
nearly 50 years of civil war
in the Philippines. Many of
us have seen first hand the
horrors and terrors of mar-
tial law under the Marcos
dictatorship and we don’t
need a replay of that peri-
od. “Never again to martial
law.” ●