Martial law needed as warning to Maute sympathizers

From the Philippine News Agency (May 30): Martial law needed as warning to Maute sympathizers

One of the reasons why martial law was declared in the entire Mindanao was to assure that sympathizers of Maute group would not try to assist them, a senator said Tuesday.

Sen. Cynthia Villar, one of the 15 senators who signed the resolution expressing support for Pres. Rodrigo Duterte’s declaration of martial law in Mindanao, said that this was to caution sympathizers from providing assistance to the terrorist group.

“…Itong extreme groups na ito may mga sympathizer sa ground. Mga kamag-anak nila, nakikinabang sa kanila, may mga local officials na sympathizer din sila. At least kapag nag-declare ka ng martial law, matatakot sila kasi that means you mean business,” Villar said in a press conference. (“These extreme groups have sympathizers on the ground, their relatives, those who benefit from them, and even some local officials. With martial law declared, they would be scared off because that means you mean business.”)

Villar pointed out that it was worrisome how the Maute group even entered barangay (villages) without the residents knowing it floating the possibility sympathizers tried to provide them with shelter or a place to hide.

Asked if she saw the need for Pres. Duterte to expand the coverage of martial law nationwide, Villar said that to her, it was merely a “warning.”

“Sa tingin ko parang press release lang iyon para kumalat pa. Ibig sabihin, warning iyon. I came from a local constituency maybe I can understand mayors more than the others (I think it’s like a press release so it doesn’t spread elsewhere. It’s a warning),” Villar said.

Villar, meanwhile, insisted that there was no need for the Senate and House of Representatives to conduct a joint session to discuss the martial law declaration unless there was a manifestation to revoke it.

“…If you're not going to revoke it, if majority of the legislators do not want to revoke the order of martial law then there's no need for joint session,” Villar said.

She made this remark after the minority bloc senators, in a separate resolution, insisted that a joint session in the Congress was necessary to deliberate on the martial law declaration.

The senator further said that no one was stopping any member of the Congress from discussing it via privilege speech.

“Di mag-discuss sa Senate, mag-discuss sa House. You are allowed to discuss it. They can deliver privilege speeches, they can ask questions. Pero kapag nagbotohan, majority wins. (Then they can discuss it in the Senate, they can discuss it in the House. You are allowed to discuss it. They can deliver privilege speeches, they can ask questions. But when it comes to voting, majority wins),” she said.

“Walang pumipigil (sa kanila) [No one is stopping them],” she added.

On Monday, the six-member Senate minority bloc filed a separate resolution to convene the Congress in a joint session to deliberate of Pres. Duterte’s declaration of martial law in Mindanao.

The resolution was signed by all members of the minority bloc namely Senate minority leader Franklin Drilon, Senators Paolo Benigno Aquino IV, Leila de Lima, Risa Hontiveros, Francis Pangilinan and Antonio Trillanes IV.

http://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/992172