Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, August 5) — Vice President Leni Robredo doesn’t believe declaring martial law in Negros Island will solve the spate of killings in the area.
“Iyong pinaka-solusyon sana, mahanap sino ba iyong behind dito sa mga patayan na ito. At mahanapan ng agarang solusyon kasi ang dami nang nabiktima,” she said in her weekly radio show on Sunday.
[Translation: The ideal solution is to find an end to all the killings and go after the perpetrators.]
She said declaring military rule will not end the violence in the area, citing the continuing crimes in Mindanao where martial law has been in place since May 2017.
“Ang pinaka tanong: Martial law ba iyong solusyon? Kasi nag-martial law sa Mindanao, mahigit isang taon na mula… Dalawa na nga yata mula 2017, pero hindi naman na-prevent iyong mga karahasan. Saka hindi lang karahasan. May mga pambobomba, mayroon pang suicide bombers. So paano mo ma-e-ensure na ito iyong solusyon sa kaguluhan sa Negros?” she added.
[Translation: The main question is: Is martial law the solution? Martial law has been in place for two years since 2017, but it did not put an end to the violence and suicide bombings in the region. With that, what is the assurance martial law will end the killings in Negros?]
President Rodrigo Duterte hinted he may declare martial law in Negros Island after 21 people were killed in Negros Oriental province alone in a span of a little more than a week. He said he will do “something drastic” soon. Malacañang claimed communist rebels are behind the killings in Negros, saying members of the New People’s Army are the only perpetrators of violence in the area.
The Constitution states that the President, as commander-in-chief of the Armed Forces, may place the entire country or any part of it under martial law “in case of invasion or rebellion, when the public safety requires it.” The declaration lasts only for 60 days, but in the case of Mindanao, Congress has granted all three requests for an extension as Duterte argued the need for military rule to quell the rebellion in the region.
Despite Duterte’s statement, the Philippine National Police sees no need for martial law in Negros as the situation in the area is “under control.”
PNP on August 3 arrested a 19-year-old suspect in the brutal killing of four police officers in Negros Oriental.
