President Rodrigo Duterte on Tuesday said he will “never declare martial law” in Negros islands despite the spate of killings in the province.
“There will not be a time that I will declare martial law. What I said was I will take drastic action,” Duterte has repeatedly said in his separate speeches in Malacañang during the oath-taking of local executives.
But Duterte warned of declaring “another thing” if the government could no longer curb the violence and rebellion.
“If it is really something that our country needs, I might declare another thing. But that is for you to guess what it will be,” he said.
Earlier on Tuesday, Malacañang has ruled out martial law in Negros islands for now, saying the “unbridled killings” in the province does not yet call for such a declaration.
The Chief Executive said during the Cabinet meeting Monday night that the situation in the province does not require military rule, according to Presidential Spokesman Salvador Panelo.
“I asked him last night about Negros and he said, ‘You and I are lawyers. We know we cannot just impose martial law unless the requirements are there,’” Panelo told reporters in a press briefing.
The Palace earlier threatened to impose martial law in Negros to “quell lawless violence” in the region amid the spate of killings which included the torture and murder of four policemen in Ayungon town.
“Martial law will only be enforced in accordance with the Constitution,” Panelo said.
“In the Constitution, there has to be a rebellion. For now, it’s unbridled killing that is still happening there,” he said.
The Armed Forces of the Philippines has not recommended putting Negros Island under military rule so far.
But the President can still invoke other emergency powers such as deploying more military troops to Negros, Panelo added.
The Philippine National Police has sent 300 more officers to the province as investigations into the slays continued.
PNP Spokesman Brig. Gen. Bernard M. Banac also said martial rule is not necessary in Negros with peace and order still under control.
But in his speech Monday night, Duterte said he is worried about an ISIS attack, and that he prayed that God would spare the Philippines from the terror group’s “brutality and cruelty.”
“There is ISIS and it gives me fear,” the President said.
“I’m praying, I really pray, I kneel before God to spare us the kind of brutality and cruelty in our country because it will really be bloody, bloody as it can ever be,” he said.
However, the Islamic State does not pose a threat to northern Luzon contrary to a leaked alert memo warning of possible attacks, AFP Spokesperson Brig. Gen. Edgard Arevalo said.
He said the military continues to monitor the situation and advised residents to continue with their day-to-day activities.
The New York Times reported in March that the Philippines is groomed to become an emerging base for ISIS.
ISIS had “attracted a range of militant jihadists” in Mindanao, according to the NYT.