Martial Law: Ghost Town

The third extension of martial law has been approved by the Supreme Court and their reasoning can only be what the administration was hoping for. 

http://cnnphilippines.com/news/2019/02/21/Chief-Justice-Lucas-Bersamin-martial-law-Mindanao-accuracy.html

Supreme Court Chief Justice Lucas Bersamin defended the high court's decision upholding the third extension of martial law in Mindanao, deferring to the President's prerogative to assess and act based on what he knows. 

"Whether that information is true or not is irrelevant. If there was false information and the President did not know it but nonetheless acted upon it, the theory is, it is still within the competence of the President to make a decision on that," Bersamin told reporters Thursday. 

Bersamin said the full court found sufficient factual basis for the extension. 

"When you note some inconsistencies or weaknesses, that is not sufficient to undo the determination of the president because accuracy is not the question here. The question here is what is the information the president acted upon," he added.

What matters is not what is true but what is the nature of the information the President acted upon. His entire intel team could be lying or misinformed themselves but as long as the President is sincere in that he really, really believes what he has been told that is all that matters. That he is acting upon false information does not matter because it is for the President to make a decision on it. This is now legal precedent in Philippine law. Legal scholars will be pouring over this decision for a long time.

The original cause for declaring martial law was of course the Marawi siege. That siege ended in October 2017. The Washington Post recently published an in-depth look at Marawi and I think we should dive right in and take a visit to this "ghost town". Before you read any further please watch the short video at the link. It's important because it shows that these journalists actually saw the city and had a military escort. They were on the ground and the article comes from real experiences and not from New York City desk jockeys.  What follows will be highlights of this rather long article.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/world/wp/2019/02/01/feature/philippine-forces-cleared-this-city-of-islamist-militants-in-2017-its-still-a-ghost-town/

More than a year since Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte declared the city liberated, Marawi looks almost as it did when the bombs and bullets stopped flying in October 2017, following five months of urban combat. 

Not a single new structure has been built. Almost none of the debris has been cleared. Snakes and mosquitoes infest the bright-green canopy of weeds engulfing the ruins. The odd stray dog has taken refuge inside battle-ravaged buildings. 

About 100,000 people displaced from the Marawi violence are unable to return home, living with relatives or in camps across the southern island of Mindanao. This predominantly Muslim region has seen clashes for decades between Philippine security forces and various groups of insurgents and militants, including the Abu Sayyaf. 

The reasons for Marawi’s limbo include one of the sweeping economic themes across the region: Chinese firms rolled in but stirred local opposition and questions about the long-term implications of Chinese involvement. 

The Marawi limbo has fueled resentment, stoked rumors of conspiracies and potentially strengthened recruitment for pro-Islamic State militants and others — raising the specter of more violence to come. 

The “recruitment of terrorist groups [is] moving twice as fast as rehabilitation,” said Rommel Banlaoi, chairman of the Philippine Institute for Peace, Violence and Terrorism Research. “The more you delay rehabilitation, the more you give them ground for recruitment.” 

Banlaoi, who works closely with the Philippine intelligence service, says that at least 44 foreign fighters continue to operate in the area, documented by the Philippine army. On Jan. 24, the Philippine army said it clashed with Islamic State-inspired fighters in the province of Lanao del Sur, where Marawi is, and killed three militants. 

Marawi’s trouble-plagued reconstruction was rocky from the beginning. 

Local leaders and many Marawi residents balked at the idea of a Chinese-led consortium rebuilding the city. 

The unease is a combination of anger at the Chinese for crackdowns on its Muslim minority, known as the Uighurs, and a general mistrust of Chinese intentions. Across Asia, many countries have had buyers’ remorse, including being saddled with debt and losing control of key facilities such as ports. 

“With PowerChina, we started again from zero,” said Felix Castro, field manager of the Marawi task force. 

The groundbreaking ceremony for the rehabilitation finally began Oct. 30. 

But Philippine officials again changed their approach, telling The Washington Post that PowerChina is no longer involved. The Philippine company, Finmat, has also been ordered to stop work clearing debris after it demolished at least 56 buildings without the consent of homeowners. 

Amid the tussle, local leaders are doubtful that the government can keep to their timeline of having the displaced return home by the end of 2021 — before Duterte’s presidential term ends in 2022. 

Scattered across the towns and cities outside Marawi are dozens of shelters and evacuation camps. They range from concrete structures with electricity and bathrooms — where Riga lives — to chaotic tent cities. 

“We hear of so many millions and millions and millions of aid given . . . but nothing has happened,” said Riga, whose family includes nine children and six grandchildren. 

Since she was displaced in May 2017, she has received only half a sack of rice twice. “Where is the money that was donated? How come we don’t feel it?” 

Another potential flash point came in January with a landmark referendum aimed at giving expanded autonomy to the predominantly Muslim region. 

The Duterte-backed referendum would establish a new autonomous administration in Mindanao — first through a transitional authority, before eventually having its own parliament. The referendum passed overwhelmingly in key areas including Marawi, seen as the first step toward ending decades of violence in the region. 

But the referendum has never been backed by groups like Abu Sayyaf and the Islamic State-linked Maute group, and analysts warn that the autonomous region will remain under threat of violence.

There is a lot to unpack here. Best to start at the beginning. Nothing has been built and no debris has been cleared despite groundbreaking happening back in October 2018. Shortly after the bulldozers stopped because the company was found not to have the right requirements. Those are widely reported facts by the Philippine media.

Maranao's cannot return to their homes and are stuck in refugee camps. Sure some are getting better housing.

https://news.mb.com.ph/2019/02/20/armm-turns-over-100houses-to-marawi-evacuees/

A total of 100 displaced families in Marawi City will now have their own starter homes in Barangay Pagalamatan, Saguiaran.

But what is 100 families compared with 100,000 people which represents more than just measly 100 families? Wherever Barangay Pagalamatan, Saguiaran is one thing is certain: it is not downtown Marawi where may of these people lived. Remember when the AFP said Marawi was 98% clear of unexploded ordnance? That was either a lie or they were severely misinformed because they have since revised this figure.

https://www.manilatimes.net/unexploded-bombs-still-litter-marawi/509739/

Brig. Gen. Edgard Arevalo, military spokesman, said around 40 unexploded ordnances, mostly air bombs dropped by military aircraft during the Marawi siege in 2017, were yet to be retrieved. 

Arevalo said authorities were able to “clear” 80 percent of the main battle area in Marawi City.

That is from February 11th, 2019.  Now look back at November 14, 2018.

Clearing operations have disabled around 70 bombs while around 30 still have to be cleared. He said that 16 of those are 500-pounders, which he said have a blast radius of 600 meters. 

He said the unit is not setting a deadline on clearing the MAA but but assured the public that the military is taking all measures to make the area safe as soon as possible. Groundbreaking on rehabilitation of the battle-scarred city was held last month. 

https://www.philstar.com/nation/2018/11/14/1868552/task-group-98-percent-marawi-ground-zero-cleared-unexploded-bombs

From 98% to 80%. From 30 bombs left to 40 bombs left! What are they basing this information on!? Having no deadline to clear the MAA means the clearing operation could go on indefinitely thus ensuring nothing gets built soon and refugee camps remain full.

The Washington Post quotes Rommel Banaloi as saying there are around 44 foreign fighters in Mindanao as documented by the AFP. But this week the AFP grossly contradicted their own figures.

https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1088539/over-10-is-linked-foreign-terrorists-suicide-bomber-are-in-mindanao-ano

An Arab-looking terrorist trained to be a suicide bomber and more than 10 other foreign terrorists linked to the Islamic State (IS) are lurking in Mindanao, a government official disclosed Thursday 

Department of Interior and Local Government Secretary Eduardo Año said the terrorists were remnants of the 40 foreign extremists supposedly deployed to help the IS-inspired Maute Group during the Marawi City siege in 2017. 

According to Año, a former Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces of the Philippines, over half of the 40 foreign terrorists died during the five-month battle between Maute Group and government troops while others left the country. 

Are there only 10 or a little more foreign fighters or four times that many? How can the AFP not get their figures straight? 

The Washington Post article quotes a woman named Riga who asks, "What happened to all the millions that were donated to the rebuilding of Marawi?" Good question.

https://www.manilatimes.net/only-26-of-p39m-in-cash-donations-for-marawi-evacuees-used-in-2017-says-audit-commission/435894/

“Records show that the City Government received cash donations from various local sources aggregating P39.7. It was noted, however, that only an amount of P10.2 or 26 percent of the total amount received was disbursed during the period, leaving an unutilized amount of P29.4 million or 74 percent as of December 31, 2017,” CoA said. 

According to the audit report, the city government “explained that the donations were used mostly for the provision of relief goods for the evacuees and the remaining amounts were programmed for rehabilitation and recovery programs and other forms of assistance to address the needs of those who were greatly affected by the calamity.” 

It added that the city government “further assured the Audit Team that cash donations were utilized in accordance with the specific intents of the donors.”

Some of the money went to buying relief goods and was invested in programs for Marawi refugees and the rest was not used at all. Much more has been donated since then. What will the COA report for 2018 show? More of the same?

The government's response to this Washington Post story is pretty typical of an administration desperate to cover its exposed butt.

https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1087445/marawi-not-a-ghost-city-washington-post-article-not-true-task-force-head

“We would just like to say the reality on the ground na ito ay walang katugmang nangyayari on the ground na ghost city siya but instead it’s full of economic activity,” he added. 

Del Rosario further said: “Ang Marawi city ngayon, if you will go there, mahihirapan kang makarating hanggang sa center of the city dahil napakagrabe ng traffic.” 

“Business activities, economic activities, and movement of people. So many vehicles ang nagpupunta na sa Marawi city and this triggers economic activity,” he also said. 

“If the writer of the article was referring to the most-affected area, that is only 250 hectares and that was devastated during the siege for five months,” Del Rosario said. 

“And 250 hectares is just .03 percent of the total area of 8,000 hectares. Mukhang masyadong na-dramatize negatively (ang situation),” he added.

Let's give Del Rosario the benefit of the doubt and assume that the Washington Post article is only referring to the most-affected area which is only .03% of the total area of Marawi and that the whole surrounding area is a bustle of economic activity. That STILL DOES NOT ACCOUNT for the rest of the facts in the article!

One more fact is the conclusion which, referring to the recently passed BOL, warns of even more violence to come because of other Muslim terrorist groups in the area who are opposed to the BOL which is part of the government's peace deal with the MILF. Coupled with the determination of some to impose an Islamic State in Mindanao a la ISIS as well as the generally violent nature of Mindanaoans who prefer to handle disputes by killing each other and it's simply a mess. Abu Sayyaf continues to finance themselves through their kidnap-for-ransom scheme.

https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1089030/duterte-wants-misuari-to-help-secure-release-of-abu-sayyaf-captives

The group earlier threatened to execute a Malaysian and two Indonesian hostages held captive in Mindanao if they do not receive the ransom for their release.

Abu Sayyaf has indeed executed hostages before and no doubt they will not hesitate to do so again if the ransom is not paid. Foreigners are especially prime targets for this group but Filipinos are not exempt either which makes the following so incredibly mind-boggling.

https://www.philstar.com/headlines/2019/02/21/1895554/miss-universe-2018-catriona-gray-promote-tourism-mindanao

Miss Universe 2018 Catriona Gray is ready to take on the task of promoting tourism in the country, with Mindanao as her launching ground. 

Gray, back in the Philippines after winning the country’s fourth Miss Universe crown in Bangkok, Thailand last December, said she wants to share with the world the beauty of Mindanao that foreign tourists rarely see due to depiction of the region in the news as a conflict area. 

“There is such a beautifully rich culture in Mindanao. If only it could be shared with the world. It’s such a beautiful, unique aspect of the Philippines,” she said at a press conference yesterday that kicked off her homecoming activities.

Is Miss Universe 2018 really this stupid? Mindanao is indeed a violent area of conflict where foreign tourists get abducted and beheaded! It is not an imaginary depiction. Why is there a push for the DOT to get foreigners to visit Mindanao when many foreign countries advise against doing so. While the AFP claims martial law actually increased tourism in Mindanao the DOT continues to insist that martial law is good for tourism and that the region is relatively safe contrary to all facts. Does the DOT want to kill foreigners? What is their endgame? If you are a foreigner visiting the Philippines go to Luzon or Boracay or anywhere else and then go home alive.