Martial law in Mindanao stays, Palace says

Malacañang on Wednesday rejected calls for the lifting of martial law in Mindanao a year after pro-Islamic State militants laid siege to Marawi City as part of an attempt to establish a caliphate in the region.

Presidential spokesperson Harry Roque said the time was not yet ripe to lift the proclamation as suggested by party-list lawmakers Sarah Elago (Kabataan) and Ariel Casilao (Anakpawis).

"Wala pong gusto na magkaroon ng martial law beyond the necessity of having martial law so the Palace would like to assure the public that the moment the need for martial law ceases it will be lifted," Roque said. 

"But certainly one year after the siege, the time to lift martial law is not yet here. It will be lifted as long as there is no need for martial law."

Duterte had placed the whole of Mindanao under martial law for 60 days after Maute group-led terror organizations attempted to establish an Islamic State province in the island group by assaulting Marawi on May 23 last year.

Backed by Congress and affirmed by the Supreme Court, the proclamation has been extended twice since.

The martial law would remain in effect until the end of this year.

According to the government, martial law is necessary to quell rebellion since the Islamic State-inspired local rebel groups have taken arms against the Philippine government for the purposes of removing Mindanao from its allegiance, and of depriving Duterte of his powers and prerogatives.

It also said martial law would help bring the rebels before the bar of justice, and ensure stability and lasting peace in Mindanao, home to 20 million people.

Critics of the imposition of martial law raised concerns about human rights abuses in the course of its implementation.

Rights group Karapatan said it has recorded 49 cases of extrajudicial killings, 116 frustrated extrajudicial killings, 22 torture cases, 89 illegal arrests and detention since May 23 last year. 

The group also tallied 9,738 cases of threats/harassment/intimidation, 336,124 cases of indiscriminate firing and bombings, 404,654 cases of forced evacuation, and 979 forced surrenderees.

"These cases are in dire contrast to what the Duterte regime sells as fictional tales of a rights abuses-free martial law implementation in Mindanao to justify its spree of murder, illegal arrests and other rights violations," Karapatan secretary general Cristina Palabay said.

"Military authority has trumped civilian authority, while the presence of soldiers is the new normal in Mindanao. Those who dare investigate and expose these violations are threatened and harassed,” she said.

Roque urged Karapatan to file complaints against those possibly involved in human rights abuses. —NB, GMA News