The military said Thursday the assessment to find out whether or not it will recommend to President Rodrigo Duterte another extension to the martial law regime in Mindanao will start next week.
“Next week, we will start the assessment with the visitation of Eastmincom [Eastern Mindanao Command] and Wesmincom [Western Mindanao Command],” Armed Forces Chief Carlito Galvez Jr. told reporters.
“We have already asked some religious [groups] and also some of the LGUs [local government units], but we need to know, we need to assess further considering that the assessment coming from the AFP should be joint with the PNP [Philippine National Police].”
Galvez made his statement even as Akbayan Senator Risa Hontiveros raised the possibility that Duterte had turned Mindanao into a “martial law laboratory” to test the sustainability of “full authoritarian rule.”
“The entire Mindanao is under martial law for more than 500 days already. This is on top of the declaration of a state of national emergency last year in response to the Davao City bombing. Post-Marcos, this is now the longest-running martial law in the country,” Hontiveros said.
“Is this now the new normal in the region? Or is Mindanao Duterte’s guinea pig for complete authoritarian rule?”
Senator Paolo Benigno Aquino IV said there was no actual threat in Mindanao that justified the declaration of martial law in the first place. He said martial law was also not needed to rebuild war-torn Marawi.
“We don’t need martial law to rebuild,” Aquino said.
Galvez said the imposition of martial law had been effective in ensuring peace and order in Mindanao. It even increased the business activities in the region.
“There is a commensurate correlational increase of business activity because of the seemingly relative peaceful conditions in the area,” Galvez said.
Malacañang said it was only waiting for the recommendation of both the AFP and PNP on whether or not to extend martial law in Mindanao.
“As I have said yesterday, it will depend on the recommendation of the military… They said it is still needed there as martial law helps control the peace and order,” Presidential Spokesman Salvador Panelo said in a radio interview.
“There is no proposal yet, but of course we are waiting for it from the military. The President relies on what will they say as they are the ones on the ground, they know better,” Panelo said.
Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana said the Defense department had been assessing the situation in Mindanao through its consultations various groups.
The Duterte administration put Mindanao under martial law to defeat the Islamic State-inspired terrorists in Marawi.
At the Palace’s request, the Senate and the House of Representatives decided to extend martial law in the region declaration twice.