Not yet time to lift Mindanao martial law —AFP's Galvez

Published May 25, 2018 8:57am 

Armed Forces of the Philippines chief of staff  General Carlito Galvez Jr. believes that martial law in Mindanao should continue until all the loose firearms are accounted for and suspected extremist elements are arrested.
Quoting Galvez, Super Radyo dzBB's Benjie Liwanag reported on "Dobol B sa News TV" that lawless elements and a significant number of loose firearms still threaten the peace and development of Mindanao. 
So far, only 6,000 (20 percent) of the estimated 30,000 illegally-owned guns have been surrendered, several months into the campaign against loose firearms.
Some 24,000 loose firearms are still unaccounted for, Galvez was quoted as saying. 
Likewise Galvez claimed that the implementation of martial law in Mindanao has been effective and accepted well by the people.
He belied claims that cases of human rights violations have escalated since martial law was imposed.
Indigenous  groups and tribal leaders have come out to condemn alleged political killings and atrocities in Mindanao under martial law.
At a forum marking a year since the declaration of martial law, Katawhang Lumad sa Mindanao (Kalumaran) spokesperson Kerlan Fanagel last Wednesday said 130 political killings have been recorded since President Duterte assumed office in 2016.
Also, he said that 37 of the 130 people killed were lumads. 
But Galvez challenged accusers to show evidence for human rights violations to support their claim.
Last Wednesday, Malacañang rejected calls for the lifting of martial law in Mindanao a year after pro-Islamic State militants laid siege to Marawi City.
"Certainly one year after the siege, the time to lift martial law is not yet here. It will be lifted as long as there is no need for martial law," Presidential spokesperson Harry Roque said.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

PCG: China’s bullying in West Philippine Sea undermines international law --- Ghio Ong - The Philippine Star

MANILA, Philippines — Letting China sustain its aggression in the West Philippine Sea would make other countries doubt the strength of international law currently being asserted by the Philippines, Commodore Jay Tarriela of the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) said. “Allowing China to blatantly disregard the established rules-based order threatens the very foundation that we all depend on,” he wrote in a post on X last Tuesday. He added, “If we permit this, countries worldwide may forget why this order was created in the first place. Nations could begin to doubt the significance of adhering to international law if powerful bullies can easily violate it.” Tarriela also said defiance of other countries to a rules-based order would result in the prevalence of cruelty. He wrote, “This could lead us back to a time when might makes right, undermining the global structures that keep human greed, savagery and barbarism in check. Such a scenario would not only invite challenges from aggressive ...
Read more

China ships maintain presence in key West Philippine Sea areas --- Michael Punongbayan - The Philippine Star

STAR / Michael Varcas MANILA, Philippines — While Chinese vessels in the West Philippine Sea (WPS) have decreased in number, they have maintained a presence in three key land features where naval and coast guard ships have intensified operations in the past seven days, according to the Philippine Navy. Latest monitoring by the Philippine Navy showed armed ships of the People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) maintaining a menacing presence around the grounded BRP Sierra Madre in Ayungin Shoal, Panatag Shoal and Escoda Shoal. According to the Philippine Navy, there are 17 Chinese military vessels and 28 China Coast Guard (CCG) boats spotted inside the country’s exclusive economic zone (EEZ) between Sept. 23 and 30, or one vessel more than in the previous week Sept.17-23. Five of the warships were seen roaming around the vicinity of Escoda Shoal, along with 10 CCG vessels and 12 maritime militia vessels (MMVs). There are also two PLAN ships in Ayungin Shoal as well as 10 CCG boats and 12...
Read more

Social media seen as cause of rising intermarriages --- Helen Flores - The Philippine Star

MANILA, Philippines — The Commission on Filipinos Overseas (CFO) sees social media as the main reason for the rising number of Filipinos marrying or becoming partners of foreign nationals. In 2022, the CFO recorded 6,854 marriages or partnerships with foreign nationals, a 40.1 percent increase from the 4,891 “intermarriages” recorded in 2021. “First of all, what we see in the increase in the marriage rate of Filipinos or Filipinos with foreign partners is because of social media, (that) is number one; matchings; letters, introduction of their friends,” CFO chairperson Romulo Arugay said at the Bagong Pilipinas Ngayon public briefing yesterday. Arugay said the agency has been registering a high number of intermarriages since 2007, but the figures went down during the COVID-19 pandemic. From over 6,500 Filipinos who married foreign nationals, only 600 are men, he said. Most of them are married to Americans, Japanese, Germans, Canadians and Australians, Arugay said. Arugay warned Fi...
Read more