Malacanang press statement:
PRRD at the Villamor Air Base and Bahay ng Pagbabago
President Rodrigo Roa Duterte is welcomed by Philippine Air Forces officials during his visit at Villamor Air Base in Pasay City on June 15, 2017. Moreover, to quell rumors that the President is sick, Special Assistant to the President Bong Go shared photos of the President working in Bahay ng Pagbabago.
The announcement of AFP Chief of Staff Gen. Eduardo Año that by today, as we celebrate our country’s 119th anniversary of independence, the Philippine flag will be flying in Marawi City, tells us of the challenges in keeping our country safe while maintaining a vibrant democracy. That a part of our country is not in the control of government shows how serious the challenges are.
“The chief of staff made an announcement hoping that by Monday, we can freely wave our flags in every corner of Marawi and we are working feverishly to do that, to ensure we are able to do to a big extent what was announced by the chief of staff,” Armed Forces spokesperson Brig. Gen. Restituto Padilla said in a Malacañang briefing last Friday.
Next day, we got the devastating report that 13 Marines were killed in action and 40 other soldiers were wounded in a 14-hour ferocious battle with Islamic militants to liberate the city.
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.”