The talk of the town is Martial Law.
Dumaguete, Negros Oriental and the rest of the Visayas are now preparing for military rule.
This comes in the wake of pronouncements by a top official from the Armed Forces Central Command that there is a 60 percent chance for Martial Law declared in Mindanao to be extended to the Visayas.
The 1987 Constitution says that under Martial Law, military courts do not have jurisdiction over civilians, and the legislature and civilian agencies will continue to function. This is why people in Mindanao say they do not feel any drastic change in their way of life under Martial Law, and even endorse it as a panacea for all of the country’s ills.
Taking the cue from people in Mindanao, many Visayans are welcoming the possible extension of Martial Law to the Visayas, if not to the whole country.
Indeed, why shouldn’t we welcome Martial Law, if the intention is to quell the fighting in Marawi and other rebel groups in Mindanao, and to prevent them from spilling over to the Visayas?
But then again, there was probably no need for Martial Law in the first place, as the powers the President sought had always been with him from the beginning.
If we must remember, President Duterte had placed the country under a State of Emergency on Sept. 4, 2016 by virtue of Proclamation 55. This was due to the Davao bombing on Sept 2 which killed 14 people and injured over 60 others. Under a State of Emergency, the government may arrest anyone without a warrant, and do everything necessary to bring the situation under control.
To this day, that State of Emergency is still in effect. There is no information pointing to the fact that the President had already lifted that proclamation.
So under Martial Law, Mindanao is actually under authoritarian rule twice over.
So if you think Martial Law is the answer to the peace and order problem in Mindanao today, think again.
