Martial law no more!

PRESIDENT DUTERTE will no longer extend martial law in Mindanao when it ends on December 31 following successful military campaign against terrorism in the restive southern region.

Duterte declared martial law in May 2017 after some 200 pro-ISIS militants occupied Marawi City in Lanao del Sur province and sparking deadly street battles that lasted 5 months.

Presidential Spokesman Salvador Panelo said Duterte’s decision not to extend martial law was based on the security assessment in the government’s war on terror. Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenza also recommended the lifting of the martial law which had been extended too long.

“The Office of the President wishes to announce that President Rodrigo Roa Duterte will not extend martial law in Mindanao upon its expiration on December 31, 2019. The Commander-in-Chief made the decision following the assessment of his security and defense advisers of the weakening of the terrorist and extremist rebellion, a result of the capture or neutralization of their leaders, as well as the decrease in the crime index, among the factors considered.”

“Contrary to the suppositions of the vocal minority on the proclamation of martial law in Mindanao, this decision of the President shows how he responds to the situation on the ground. The Palace is confident on the capability of our security forces in maintaining the peace and security of Mindanao without extending Martial Law. The people of Mindanao are assured that any incipient major threat in the region would be nipped in the bud,” Panelo said.

In December 2009, then President Gloria Arroyo also declared martial in Maguindanao province in the Muslim autonomous region after the November 23 mass murder of dozens of innocent civilians and journalists by private armed groups of Governor Andal Ampatuan. (Mindanao Examiner)

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