Justice Secretary Vitaliano Aguirre probably thought the public would buy his tale linking opposition lawmakers to the Maute terror group which is one of the reasons for the current turmoil in Marawi City.
It only affirmed his stupidity.
As social media commenter Joel Vivas tweeted, “Kakaibang level.”
There’s so much pain and suffering in their voices and they all have a common message: End the airstrikes in Marawi , lift Martial Law in Mindanao and resume peace talks.
In a gathering of persons and groups from Mindanao last Thursday, stories about panic, fear, hunger and fatigue since the declaration of martial Law by President Duterte last May 23 were shared.
Norkaya Mohamad said in normal times, it takes only 45 minutes from Marawi to Iligan City. When they fled Marawi last week, it took them eight agonizing hours.
(Unang lumabas ang column na ito sa Abante)
Ang pangamba ng karamihan habang pinapanood ang balita sa nangyayari sa Resorts World na malapit sa NAIA 3 noong lampas ng hatinggabi ng Biyernes (Hunyo2) ay baka gamitin itong dahilan ni Pangulong Duterte sa pagdeklara ng Martial Law sa buong bansa.
Ang mga unang balita kasi ay sumigaw daw ng ISIS ang mamang sumugod sa casino na may baril. Hindi naman pala totoo. Ang sumigaw daw ng ISIS ay yung mga taong nagtakbuhan palabas.
Ito namang si U.S. President Donald Trump, na nagsalita sa White House mga tatlong oras ang nakalipas at tinawag na “terror attack” ang nangyari. Sabi niya sa kanyang pagharap sa media sa White House:
Unites States President Donald Trump called the incident at Resorts World Manila early morning Friday a “terrorist attack.” STATEMENT Trump, at a White House press…
By Charmaine Deogracias
VERA Files
Before May 23, 2017, the band of bandits operating in the Lanao area called Maute Group was nothing but an armed network of clans with familial ties to the Moro Islamic Liberation Front. But the Maute Group is now an international terrorist organization, thanks to President Rodrigo Duterte and his declaration of martial law in Mindanao.
What is referred to in military and police reports as a local
group has now been renamed Maute ISIS. Armed Forces of the Philippines chief of staff Eduardo Año on Friday said the AFP is considering classifying the group as an international terrorist organization.
Sen. Antonio Trillanes IV is one of the five senators who did not vote for Senate Resolution 388 “Expressing the sense of the Senate supporting Proclamation No. 2016 dated May 23, 2017 entitled “Declaring a State of Martial Law and suspending the privilege of the writ of Habeas Corpus in the whole of Mindanao and finding no cause to revoke the same.”
Following is the transcript of Trillanes’ explanation for his negative vote.
TRILLANES: Let me just make it clear that my negative vote for this resolution does not mean that I do not support the military operations going on right now or that I do not sympathize with the people of Marawi and the people of Mindanao. I believe all of us here are supportive and we salute the efforts of the AFP, we laud their sacrifices for the country and we want to support them as best we can. But the issue here is about the correct response or the proportionate response of the government to this crisis, which I believe that this declaration of Martial Law for the whole of Mindanao is not the correct response. And in fact, we heard it during yesterday’s security briefing, the AFP and their defense establishment didn’t even ask for it.
Update May 31, 2017:
Antonio “Sonny” Trillanes IV
“During the security briefing, I asked Sec. Lorenzana based on their intel reports, if I or the Magdalo group is linked in any way with the Maute? He answered, ‘No, Mr. Senator. Na receive din namin ang information na galing daw kay Abe Purugganan. Hindi totoo yun. Hindi namin pinansin yun.'”
Rep. Gary C. Alejano of the Magdalo Party-list denounced as malicious and irresponsible the reports being spread by a former undersecretary in the Arroyo administration linking their organization to the Maute Group whose terrorist campaign in Marawi City President Duterte said compelled him to declare Martial Law in Mindanao on May 23.
“This is the height of irresponsibility of those involved in spreading this fake and malicious information especially in this trying times when our brothers and sisters in Marawi need all the support from the Filipino people. I categorically deny that Magdalo is involved in any terroristic acts or is affiliated with any terrorist groups. The intelligence community could affirm this as we have constant engagements with them,” Alejano, speaking for the group, said in a statement.
Sen. Antonio Trillanes IV, one of the officials of the political organization, said “it is obviously a black propaganda, a very vicious one.” He said he will address the issue after a scheduled briefing by military officials for senators on Monday.
This story first came out in VERA Files. Please click here to see complete Martial Law declaration Report.
For more VERA Files report about Martial Law in Mindanao please click to links below:
Martial Law in Mindanao: A timeline
VERA Files Fact Sheet: Explaining Martial Law
Duterte allies in Congress support Martial Law; opposition calls for vigilance
President Rodrigo Duterte has called the clashes in Marawi City between the Maute group and government forces an act of rebellion, which is one of the justifications for the imposition of Martial Law and the suspension of the writ of habeas corpus under the Constitution.
The other justification is “invasion.”
In a seven -page report he submitted Thursday to Senate President Aquilino Pimentel III and House Speaker Pantaleon D. Alvarez, following his declaration of Martial Law in Mindanao May 23 while he was on a working visit to Russia , Duterte said, “While the government is presently conducting legitimate operations to address the on-going rebellion, if not the seeds of invasion, public safety necessitates the continued implementation of martial law and the suspension of the privilege of the writ of habeas corpus in the whole of Mindanao until such time that the rebellion is completely quelled.”
Click here: Know your rights under Martial Law
What makes me happy.. I’m sad, but what makes me happy that I was able to have a last minute.. Hindi last minute but it was almost an hour, a last minute meeting with President Putin and I was able to communicate all the things that I wanted to tell him. Maganda naman ang ano, positive naman ang…
Mga kababayan natin.. Do not be too scared. I’m going home, I’m cutting my visit here to be with my countrymen and I will deal with the problem once I arrive. But let me just tell everybody that I have declared martial law for Mindanao. How long, well, how.. it would take a year to do, then, we’ll do it. If it’s over within a month, I’d be happy. Pero ang martial law is martial law ah. So kayong mga kababayan ko, you have experienced martial law. It could not be any different from what the President Marcos did. I’d be.. I’d be harsh. I was asked one time during the campaign doon sa La Salle, I was asked how I would deal with terrorism, I said I will be harsh. Sinabi ko nga sa lahat eh, do not force my hand into it. I have to do it to preserve the Republic of the Philippines and the Filipino people.
Newly-installed Foreign Secretary Alan Peter Cayetano said he has been in all the bilateral meetings between President Duterte and China’s President Xi Jinping and he has not witnessed any threat of war uttered by the Chinese President.
Philippine Ambassador to China Chito Sta. Romana, who has worked and lived in China as a journalist before he was recruited to the foreign service, said in a TV interview, “The whole idea…therefore that China was bullying us and threatening us just doesn’t pass.”
What does that make of President Duterte, a liar?