Tuesday, July 25, 2017

Martial Law: "I Don't Need Martial Law"

President Rodrigo Duterte is an absolute madman.  This week he procured 3,000 pistols for the AFP and held an elaborate handing over ceremony. But in a surprise twist he told the soldiers to use the pistols to kill themselves rather than get captured.
Don’t get captured alive. 
President Rodrigo Duterte gave this advice to soldiers on Tuesday as he turned over 3,000 .45 cal. M1911 pistols to the military. 
“I will give you all guns with two magazines in reserve and one deployed. One of those magazines is for you. The other two are for the enemy,” Mr. Duterte said during a ceremony in Malacañang. 
“Don’t surrender while still alive. If you’re cornered, all you have to do is to raise your right hand with a [dirty finger] sign and put the gun in your mouth,” he said, drawing laughter from the soldiers present.
http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/915078/duterte-to-troops-dont-get-captured-alive
What an inspirational leader. Just the kind of man the Philippines needs during this time of crisis.

http://www.philstar.com/headlines/2017/07/23/1720699/congress-extends-martial-law-until-december-31
While the Supreme Court took a week to hear arguments and give a decision on the validity of martial law the Congress took one session and only 8 hours to decide a 5 month extension was necessary.  What should have been a debate that lasted a few days where testimony was heard from all sides took only one day. That the Congress does not think a serious debate is in order before deciding on this important issue is appalling. Does the constitution allow for an extension beyond 60 days? That is one of the many issues that should have been discussed all week but is now likely to be decided by the Supreme Court again.
http://news.abs-cbn.com/news/07/22/17/minority-lawmakers-to-file-petition-before-sc-questioning-martial-law-extension
Among the grounds the four lawmakers intend to cite in their petition are: the insufficient factual basis for extension, that the extension should not be more than 60 days, and that the coverage cannot be inferred to the whole of Mindanao.
Who cares though because a 5 month extension is what Duterte wanted and his party, which is now being trained to govern in the ideology of the Communist Party of China, is the majority. While some lawmakers voted in favour whole heartedly and others reservedly there was one lawmaker who suggested that martial law should be extended nationwide.

http://news.abs-cbn.com/news/07/22/17/tausug-lawmaker-calls-for-nationwide-martial-law
"Kusug Tausug Party-list suggests that this august body extend martial law not just in Mindanao but all throughout the entire country," Tan said, beaming as she cast her vote. 
Tan's remark earned both laughter and applause from the legislative body that convened jointly to vote on Duterte's request to extend his martial law declaration and suspension of the privilege of the writ of habeas corpus for 150 more days.
HAHAHAHA! Oh, it's so funny. Martial law nationwide! JOKE LANG!  Look how everyone is smiling and laughing in that picture. Ah, so funny! After a few shots of Tanduay I bet Shernee Abubakar Tan is a real laugh riot. The idea of nationwide martial law is funny because it will never happen. It's like suggesting a billionaire real estate mogul turned reality star would ever be president of the USA. 
http://www.rappler.com/nation/176362-no-plan-nationwide-martial-law-lorenzana
On what basis can Lorezna even say this?  During the campaign Duterte said he would not declare martial law because there is no more rebellion.  But what happened in May?  He declared martial law because of a rebellion. And he said he would extend it to Luzon and the Visayas if he saw the need. Never say never when it comes to Duterte.  He has allocated all authority to himself.  In January Duterte said, I will declare martial law if I want to and nobody can stop me.” 

Despite the Defense Secretary's assertion that martial law will never be extended nationwide the situation in the Philippines is shaping up for that very event to happen. Will Congress be laughing then?
http://www.gmanetwork.com/news/news/nation/618938/duterte-to-cpp-no-more-talk-let-us-fight/story/
In response to martial law the NPA is ramping up attacks across the country. Attacks in the Visayas and other places could well be the catalyst that sparks nationwide martial law.  The NPA is not limited to Mindanao. Now that the phoney peace talks have finally collapsed Duterte is calling for all out war against the NPA. He is even using his sexy propagandist, Mocha Uson, to the get people prepared.


All out war with the NPA would mean nationwide martial law and nationwide war. But HAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!! JOKE LANG!!! Because there is no chance nationwide martial law will EVER happen.

Equally funny hahaha is Duterte's former running mate Cayetano saying he supports an indefinite extension of martial law in Mindanao for the very same unconstitutional reason of developing infrastructure as does Speaker of the House Alvarez when the Duterte administration distanced itself from Alvarez for making those remarks.

http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/915523/cayetano-supports-martial-law-extension-to-rehabilitate-mindanao
Development and rehabilitation in Mindanao, he said, would be hampered unless the peace and order problem is addressed first. 
“Yung Mindanao railway system, how would the Muslims in Mindanao feel if kumpletuhin mo yun ng wala sila di ba. So kailangan nating ayusin yun bago mag-develop ang Mindanao (We need to address those problems first before we develop Mindanao),” Cayetano, who became Duterte’s running mate in the 2016 elections, further said 
“The length is speculative. Ayaw naman ni Presidente sabihin na 60 days tapos hindi (pala) tapos. So parang it’s just so logical, bigyan muna kami hanggang end of the year (The President would not want just 60days and eventually it still lacks the time to finish it. It is just logical that we give it until the end of the year),” Cayetano added. 
Cayetano noted that the country was “under threat,” citing the ongoing crisis in Marawi City in Lanao del Sur that prompted President Rodrigo Duterte to declare martial law in the entire region of Mindanao last May 23. 
“In fact, many of the ambassadors have been telling me, they’ve been worried for the last 10 years that people are coming in, not the fighters but yung nagra-radicalize, yung nagpa-plan are here and they pointed to areas.”
Notice how he throws in so casually that the country is under threat.  He is not so subtly giving hints that nationwide martial law is coming.  He should know. He is part of Duterte's inner circle.

And what about Alvarez?  How is he holding up now that martial law has only been extended for 5 months instead of 5 years?

http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/916220/speaker-alvarez-sad-martial-law-not-extended-for-5-more-years
Alvarez said there would be no need for Congress to monitor the human rights situation in Mindanao under martial law, especially with the media constantly documenting the situation on the ground. 
Asked on the adverse impact of the martial rule on the economy, particularly tourism in Mindanao, Alvarez said Filipinos would have to make sacrifices.
Alvarez is truly a wonder to behold. How does he keep forgetting the party line? Doesn't he know that the Duterte administration hates the press and considers media reports nothing but unreliable hearsay? The media has reported human rights abuses already and AFP Chief Eduardo Año has dismissed those reports as baseless. Why is he talking about the human rights situation at all when Cayetano has assured everyone that there are no abuses under martial law? Doesn't he know that the Duterte administration has said martial law will cause no negative impact on tourism or the economy? There are no sacrifices to be made because everything will stay the same.  In fact business leaders in Mindanao are confident that martial law will boost investor confidence! Martial law, they say, is great for the economy and tourism because it ensures a peaceful climate for both tourists and investors. Who doesn't want to go on holiday to an island with armed military forces patrolling the streets?  You are guaranteed to not be robbed, raped, murdered, or kidnapped and subsequently beheaded by Muslim terrorists. It's more fun (and much safer) in the Philippines.

http://www.rappler.com/nation/170876-tourism-trade-chiefs-downplay-martial-law
Never one to be outdone the funniest hahaha moment comes from the Comic-in-Chief himself, President Duterte. The Commission on Human Rights, Duterte's mortal foe, issued a statement saying that a martial law extension is not necessary to handle the crisis in Marawi and Mindanao.

http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/916172/chr-marawi-crisis-can-be-addressed-without-martial-law-extension
“The government has the full capacity and ability to address any extremist threat and lawless violence within established powers and authorities of our security forces and chain of command, without the necessity of further exercising the martial law powers,” the CHR Public Afairs Office, headed by lawyer Jacqueline de Guia, said in a statement issued on Saturday. 
The CHR said it had confidence that the military could “effectively quell terrorism” spread by Islamic State-inspired armed groups in Marawi City and “restore law and order in the whole of Mindanao even without martial law.”
And Duterte agreed!
http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/916083/duterte-i-can-operate-with-or-without-martial-law
The President said he could proceed with his administration’s fight against enemies of the state even without a martial law. 
“Ako, I can operate with or without martial law. So, I have to do the — Sabi ko, I’ll just have to do my duty. It’s in my oath of office. I don’t need martial law,” he said.
HAHAHAHAHA!! Joke lang! What a funny guy. He doesn't need martial law at all. That's why he asked for an extension until December 31st. It's sarcasm just like his latest rape jokes.

Maybe he does not need martial law.  But now that he has 5 more months of it he will be taking his sweet time in the fight to secure Marawi.  From "This will be over in about 3 more days," to:

http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/916250/president-tells-military-wait-dont-rush-things
“I said we have to wait it out. I said do not attack. You can fire shots, but if you launch an assault, they’re going to behead people there,” the President said. 
The lives of the hostages are equally important, Mr. Duterte added. “It’s not important to me if they’re Moro, Christian or Vietnamese. (What’s) important is we do not want to kill people.” 
It was the government’s “moral duty” to make sure the hostages were alive, even if the war drags on for a year, Mr. Duterte said. 
“So, even if it’s expensive … if you see someone running, you can open fire. But no assault. That’s 300 lives. If you have to wait there for one year, let us wait for one year,” the President said. 
The military should also allow food to reach the hostages. “Not bullets. Only food,” Mr. Duterte said. “It’s our moral duty to see to it that they live and that they are fed,” he added.
The government's moral duty?  Moral duty??  When did the man whose constant refrain to criminals has been, "I will kill you," and who has consistently berated human rights organisations for questioning his policies become a moralist and a humanitarian??

They were so eager to get this situation over with at first. How many deadlines did the AFP set and miss all the while remaining confident that victory was only a few days away? And now Duterte is worried about the safety of hostages and says take your time even if it means a whole year? Why should anyone believe he honestly cares about the safety of hostages when he told the AFP, "Do not hesitate to kill just because there are civilians there." The longer the siege in Marawi lasts the more critical the situation will become. And this is exactly what Duterte wants. He is slowing down the war so that the crisis will build to a breaking point and then martial law will be called for nationwide. He is waiting for the NPA or Abu Sayyaf or MILF or MNLF or BIFF or escaped and regrouped Maute fighters to launch a deadly and audacious attack which will then be his justification to declare nationwide martial law.

Now that Duterte has been given 5 more months of martial law we will see the real Duterte unleashed. There is nothing to hold him back.  There is nothing to prevent him from implementing the bloody dictatorship he said he would establish if he was president. He said he would do it and anyone who does not believe him is a fool.

http://www.rappler.com/nation/politics/elections/2016/110679-duterte-contradictions-dictatorship
“It’s going to be a dictatorship,” he added. “It’s the police and the military who will be the backbone. If they agree with you – if the right-thinking policemen and military men agree with you – then after 6 years, there will be a new set-up: maybe a federal type, less corruption, and a fresh air for the next generation.” 
“I’m telling the Filipino people, huwag ako. It’s going to be bloody,” he said. “Because I will not sit there as President and just like any other regime, sabihin ko, iyan lang ang kaya ko … pero pag nilagay ninyo ako, do not fuck with me.”

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