The Fear of a Possible Nationwide Martial Law in the Philippines

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Recently, martial law was taken effect in the island of Mindanao, the southern part of the Philippines. This was after the Maute, an ISIS-led local terrorist group in the island, attacked Marawi City in Mindanao. The original plan was only to make the law effective until the siege would be lifted out. However, up until this year 2018 after the victimized people have already been rehabilitated and relieved, the martial law is still present.

President Duterte signed the order allowing for a 1-year extension of the martial rule in Mindanao, insisting that terrorism is still on the ground. Consequently, in the late of 2017, he passed an executive order tagging the longest running rebellion in the world, the Communist Party of the Philippines and its armed wing, the New Peoples’ Army as terrorist groups so that it could also be the target of the martial law while the real terrorist ISIS is not yet making its next step to make the excuse more legitimate.

Many netizens see this pattern and fear that it might expand to the rest of the country and will be made nationwide. The above-mentioned rebel groups have their military bases throughout the country, so it is possible for the martial law to be nationwide. Even the legal fronts, progressive movements are tagged as members of the rebellion-turned-terrorist communist group and soon will be banned from protesting.

Nonetheless, the concern is not how biased or right is the government in deciding how many groups to be banned, the point is that democracy is now being in challenge. Remember that the country first tasted the sweetness of democracy in 1978 after the martial law of the late President Marcos, and now it is coming back to the dark days. Thousands of Filipinos from different sectors, including the church, from upper down to lower classes were tortured, abducted, and killed during those years. Duterte eased the public by saying his martial law would be different from the old and devastating one, but what happened is the opposite.

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So, if this becomes nationwide, it will produce crises and will only promote another phase of rebellion in the countryside. Take note that during the nationwide martial law of Marcos, recruitment to the communist group peaked the highest rating of members added, and this may happen again. Law offenders will also increase in number. The people in this modern era have become braver and technology nowadays is accessible. There will be more agitating mass movement when it persists.

The fear of a possible nationwide martial law is the fear of an upcoming resistance and revolution. The people have always longed for democracy and would die fighting for it. Many Filipinos have already been protesting against the martial law in Mindanao. How much more if it becomes nationwide? How many people will rebel against the State when it happens?

Duterte said he would only consider a nationwide martial law if the rebels do troubles outside Mindanao or the other parts of the country. But is it not already a sign of a country-wide martial law when he branded the rebels as terrorists? But what if someone disguises as a communist and hijack a gasoline station in Luzon or Visayas? What if the Marawi Siege was just only a setup for the already planned martial law? Just the few moments the siege started, some multinational corporations have immediately donated millions of money for the rehabilitation of the city.

It seems like these big guys already knew about what would happen in the city. What if the martial law is only a way towards achieving these business expansions in the Muslim areas not yet penetrated by big business companies? Was it only planted just to force the people to accept the donation and eventually would agree with the future expansion of the businesses? So if this speculation is right, the people should fear the nationwide martial law, for there might be another plan for this.

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Another basis is the extrajudicial killings of the police forces in every part of the country. The killings are rampant today even without martial law. No justice has been served to the families of the victims. No due process has been granted to the poor victims. Imagine if the martial law becomes nationwide. There will be no doubt that it will be more problematic. Democracy is already at risk even before the martial law came into existence. And now the government is ridiculously claiming its own democratic legacy with all its agendas.

It assumes it is democratic when the poor addicts get killed in order to clean the streets for the public safety. Democracy only comes in when these poor addicts get rehabilitated and are given the access of equal social services and even proper scholarship for education so that they would not get back to their old deeds. There are people who would insist that whatever status the addicts do have they will still be addicts forever. They forgot to remember how they became such.

The displacement of indigenous Filipinos, extrajudicial killings, and the absence of due process do sum-up to the fear of a nationwide martial law. It will give an authority of the military to take advantage over its might to abuse the people. The martial law will only legitimize all of these unjust acts of the government. The integration of martial law into democracy is plainly ridiculous. Plus, the Philippine Constitution driven by democracy will be out of place, making it useless and illegitimate. So what is the use of it?

References:
https://www.rappler.com/nation/191279-duterte-nationwide-martial-law-all-options-on-the-table
http://bulatlat.com/main/2017/09/20/will-duterte-declare-martial-law-like-marcos/