"Restoring order or Intensifying Chaos?"
On the recent attacks in Marawi city
And the declaration of Martial Law all over Mindanao
The recent events in Marawi city means an attempt to break hell to a regime that is, trying to be synonymous with restoring order and stability.
For as armed terrorists, fueled with their brand of religious fanaticism are creating havoc in the city, the government is simply replying not with a mere state of emergency over the city but rather Martial Rule all over the island of Mindanao. The island-wide imposition, which is made hours ago, been made on the narrow pretext of armed clashes between the military and bandit groups like Abu Sayyaf and the Maute Group, whose leaders are have also known links with military officials.
Obviously, it is worth strongly denouncable on the first place knowing that by declaring Martial rule in the island means having a free hand for the military to create "harsh measures" including those of illegal arrests, stockades, and even torture.
And by declaring it showed how President Duterte has gone beyond the threats and theatrics of the past months; and being justified by its fanatics whose perception of restoring order and discipline includes having collateral damages towards the innocent in case of earlier events like "Operation Tokhang" and its anti-narcotic operations.
Furthermore, that havoc reminds everyone on how Zamboanga City was razed to the ground in 2013 by the military with aerial bombardments and heavy gunfire. Using the "anti-insurgent operations" as its alibi, such havoc may also meant keeping further interests, especially with the military serving as its attack dogs searching for its prey including the innocents. Like "Operation Tokhang", that declaration, in spite of its intended pupose of restoring order, doesn't equate to development nor even restoring justice, but most likely intensifying repression as in the past operations like in 1973.
And with such actions, one may think that Duterte’s martial law declaration in Mindanao has gone beyond Marawi, as well as having a much wider target and purpose. He has declared that he will be as “as harsh” as his idol Marcos, that in using issues like criminality, illegal drugs, rather foreboding the worst kinds of human rights violations and fascist attacks against the people particularly the masses. In doing so by using Marawi and the entire Mindanao island, the president has practically ordered the military to impose its rule and may carry out more abuses with extreme impunity.
And thus, makes the Filipino people will hold him directly responsible for all the abuses perpetrated by the military and police under his martial rule. Sorry to say those words but knowing that these fanatics wanted that kind of order through martial rule, then is this the change they're talking about? For in Mindanao, The civil-democratic rights of the people are being curtailed as they are subjected to checkpoints, warrantless arrests, curfews and other restrictions. Worse, it further shows that the reactionaries will surely be more barefaced in employing military and police forces, being the attack dogs of the ruling order to suppress the struggles of workers and peasants and other sectors for genuine land reform, higher wages, better living conditions as well as environmental protection against foreign mining operations. With martial law in Mindanao, Duterte has imposed himself as a military ruler ready to ram through the bureaucracy and trample on civilian processes. He did it in the face of persistent contradictions among the ruling classes, with coup threats and other machinations within the order.
By doing so, the president is asserting his role as commander-in-chief in the hope that he can ingratiate himself with the military echelon and preempt plans of certain military officials from undertaking a coup d’etat. Along the same objectives, he has also appointed an increasing number of military officials in his cabinet and other government agencies like ex-Generals Cimatu for the Environment and Natural Resources and Visaya for Electrification, Ano is even selected as Interior and Local Government Secretary in the hope that his capabilities may also "end the drug problem".
On the other hand, the handful of progressives in his government like Agrarian Reform's Mariano and Social Welfare's Taguiwalo have become ever more marginalized and threatened. It is also in Mindanao wherein farmers took strike against Lorenzo's Lapanday for the latter stubbornly not submitting to the former's demands such as giving back the land; as well as the issue on Indigenous tribes fighting against state-supported developmental aggression like mining and plantation expansions affecting commuities and its way of life, usually resulting to bloodshed if not equating a just action to subversion.
In the past few months, the military has committed countless abuses against the people, placing entire communities under military rule in waging its counter-revolutionary Oplan Kapayapaan. As in the past military operations like "Lambat Bitag", "Bantay Laya", and "Bayanihan", the present military operation has done forcible evacuation and hamletting of communities, aerial bombings and a myriad forms of military abuses. These enough to show the regime, in spite of its "promise of change", is first, prioritising the interests of the ruling few with the latter desperately consolidating their interests amidst popular opposition. Again, it may expand that military rule into the entire country using "criminality" as its pretext.
But all in all, what everyone see in every news is a war between two stooges in a town full of innocents. With the burnings, killings, everything that leaves a trail of blood, it creates a scenario wherein fear prevails over justice, of distrust and of infamy; not knowing that both the military and bandits like the Abu Sayyaf and Maute Group are but stooges of the same entity such as the United States. Sorry to say this but not all soldiers are patriots and not even religious are fanatics. Is the burning of Marawi just? Even in the laws of war for Muslims it isn't. Worse, in advocating total military action and telling that "there will be collateral damage" towards civilians be like: "It is better and more satisfactory to acquit a thousand guilty persons than to put a single innocent one to death."
But all in all, what everyone see in every news is a war between two stooges in a town full of innocents. With the burnings, killings, everything that leaves a trail of blood, it creates a scenario wherein fear prevails over justice, of distrust and of infamy; not knowing that both the military and bandits like the Abu Sayyaf and Maute Group are but stooges of the same entity such as the United States. Sorry to say this but not all soldiers are patriots and not even religious are fanatics. Is the burning of Marawi just? Even in the laws of war for Muslims it isn't. Worse, in advocating total military action and telling that "there will be collateral damage" towards civilians be like: "It is better and more satisfactory to acquit a thousand guilty persons than to put a single innocent one to death."
And with all these truths, it means a just call for its immediate lifting and restoration of civil rights in Mindanao (as well as in other areas affected by militarisation). For in spite of the justifications brought about by the ruling administration and its apologetics, the imposition of martial law and the worsening human rights abuses in the entire country that will come out of it will surely be brought forward as violations of existing agreements, such as the Comprehensive Agreement on Respect for Human Rights and International Humanitarian Law (CARHRIHL).
And frankly speaking, this person, like everyone else who desired for a just and lasting peace, doesn't want this bloody scenario to happen be it now and in the future.
Unless you are an apathetic who does not care about its surrounding and talks about their own hypebeasts.