65% of Pinoys think martial law in Mindanao should be lifted this week —SWS

The majority of Filipinos believe that martial law in Mindanao should not be extended beyond its deadline on December 31, according to a Social Weather Stations survey released late Sunday.

The survey found that 65% think martial law in Mindanao should expire by the end of this year, as opposed to 34% who said it should be extended.

The remaining one percent did not give an answer to the question, "In your opinion, should Martial Law in Mindanao lapse at end-2019, or be extended for a longer period?"

The survey was conducted from December 13 to 16 among 1,200 Filipino adults—300 each in Metro Manila, Balance Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao.

Security assessment

President Rodrigo Duterte imposed martial law on the whole of Mindanao on May 23, 2017, the same day the terrorist Maute group began its siege of Marawi City.

Initially scheduled for only 60 days, martial law over Mindanao was extended by Congress three times upon Duterte's request—first until the end of 2017, then until the end of 2018, and once more until the end of this year.

Earlier this month, Malacanang said that the President will not seek a fourth extension of martial law in the region, following the assessment of his security and defense advisers.

These include Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana, who said that he had sent his recommendation to the Office of the President that martial law in Mindanao be lifted.

"I was assured by the Armed Forces, the police, that we have already accomplished what we need to do. With the situation there now, we believe we can maintain the peace and order and improve it further without martial law," Lorenzana said.

No more threat?

Of the 34% who want martial law extended, 22% want it to cover the entire Mindanao, while 7% think it should only cover Lanao del Sur province, including Marawi City. Five percent think it should cover Lanao del Sur, Marawi City, and nearby provinces.

By area, 61% of those polled in Mindanao believe that martial law should be lifted, while the percentage is higher in other areas (67% of those polled in in Metro Manila, 67% in the Visayas, and 66% in Balance Luzon).

The survey also found a "very strong" net agreement score of +33 to the statement, "At present, there is no more threat that another Marawi-like terrorist attack can happen anywhere in Mindanao." Almost half or 49% agree with this statement (20% strongly agree and 29% somewhat agree) compared to 16% who disagree (9% somewhat disagree and 7% strongly disagree). The remaining 35% are undecided. — BM, GMA News