Rep. Manuel Sagarbarria of the 2nd district of Negros Oriental on Tuesday said he is supporting the move of President Rodrigo Duterte to seek for an extension of the martial law in Mindanao.
In an interview, Rep. Sagarbarria told reporters there is a necessity to extend the martial law in Mindanao because the conflict in Marawi City is not over and done with yet.
The 60-day martial law that President Duterte declared in Mindanao will end on July 22 as prescribed by the Constitution.
The President had issued Proclamation 216 on May 23, 2017 declaring a 60-day period of martial law in Mindanao after hundreds of local terrorists like the Maute Group and the Abu Sayyaf Group carried out attacks in Marawi City, prompting civilians to flee while government forces continue to fight them until now.
As the weekend deadline draws near, President Duterte announced he is asking Congress for an extension of the martial law until December 31st this year.
According to Sagarbarria, he has spoken to his colleagues in Congress who are from Mindanao and they are for the extension of the martial law.
The constituents of Mindanao also agree to the imposition of martial law in that region because they now feel peace in Mindanao, especially in nearby areas to the conflict-stricken Marawi City.
The solon also noted that “rebellion” in Mindanao is a perennial problem that will never go away, although in some areas, it has simple “died down”.
The Negros Oriental congressman said he believes there will be an extension of the martial law in Mindanao although he admitted that he has not yet received word that this will be tackled during a special session prior to the second State-of-the-Nation-Address of President Duterte on July 24.
Meanwhile, a staunch supporter of President Rodrigo Duterte who heads the People’s Solidarity Federal Party has emphasized that the proposed extension of the martial law in Mindanao will rely on the Chief Executive’s advisers and the military.
Atty. Joel Obar, who is strongly promoting federalism in the country, on Tuesday afternoon issued the statement following reports that President Duterte is asking Congress for the extension of the martial law in Mindanao towards the end of 2017.
According to Atty. Obar, his personal view on this would be that it would be better to let the present martial law expire as scheduled and for the President to declare another martial law for two months.
According to the lawyer, the President has all the intelligence resources whether to extend the same to another two months and that is his executive prerogative. (Judy Flores Partlow/Juancho Gallarde/PNA)
