Martial Law was declared by the Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte on the 23rd of May in 2017 that will take effect for at least 60 days that will end on the 23rd of July in 2017. The suspension of the writ of habeas corpus was under the Proclamation no. 2016 in the whole of Mindanao Island, which is one-third of the Philippine land area as well as population. The declaration was made when President Rodrigo Duterte was in Moscow for a bilateral meeting with the Russian leaders to strengthen bilateral talks between the two countries. Residents living in Luzon and Visayas regions are not currently affected by the Proclamation No. 2016.
While the proclamation is nearing its end on July 23, 2017, President Rodrigo Duterte wants Martial Law to be extended until the end of this year. The main goal is to extend the presence of military and increase its visibility to the public to prevent further escalation of both terrorist and criminal elements across the Mindanao island. The House of Representatives, which is composed of elected public officials of the congress will be responsible for the deliberation of the proclamation's extension. The members of the House of Representatives are expected to reach a conclusion whether or not the suspension on the Writ of Habeas Corpus will be extended until the end of the year.
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President Rodrigo Duterte did not think twice upon declaring the suspension of the Writ of Habeas Corpus. The President was warned by the officials of the Armed Forces of the Philippines as well as the intelligence units of the Philippine National Police regarding the invasion of ISIS linked militants in Marawi City. The members of the ISIS-linked militants spread across Marawi City for the purpose of raising an ISIS flag to fully comply with the last requirement of terrorist's headquarters in Syria to become a fully-pledged caliphate in the Southeast Asia. Despite from a failed attempt by the militants to raise the flag, atrocities and destruction were already enough to declare the group to be the official caliphate in Southeast Asia.
The ISIS-linked militants are a combination of active terror cells, which are dominated by the Abu-Sayyaf, Maute clan, BIFF, international terrorist groups and small-scale militant groups concentrated in the western part of Mindanao. Other than the ISIS-linked groups, communist rebel groups that are composed of a three-core group rebel are considered a significant threat to the democracy of the country. Mindanao is currently the center of gravity for ISIS-linked militants where both local and international terrorist groups are gathered to establish a new regional caliphate in Asia. However, ASEAN Armed Forces signed a new treaty to patrol its regional seas to prevent back door channeling of militants from entering the Philippines via the Celebes Sea, Sulu Sea, and South China Seas.
*READ: 5 Reasons why President Rodrigo Duterte Declared Martial Law in Mindanao
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Video explanation of the 5 Facts why Martial Law is important
5 Beneficial Facts of Martial Law
1. Reduces Terrorism: The Mindanao island has the strongest gravity for terrorist groups to gather and establish a new caliphate across the area. This means that Martial Law is the best solution to the growing problem of terrorism across the whole island. Although the western part of Mindanao is where terrorist activities are highly concentrated, the whole region is affected due to travel advisories from international communities. Martial Law reduces terrorism to flush out all terrorist organizations who are currently in the region to cause coercion, intimidation, and violence.
*READ: 10 Facts about the benefits and consequences of Martial Law
2. Decreases Criminal activities: Martial Law is also the best solution to decrease the number of criminal elements across the region. Criminal activities are also hampering the security and safety of Mindanaoans due to incessant unruly behaviors of citizens who are suffering from anti-social personality disorders. These include theft, robbery, rape, physical assault, damages to properties, and fraudulent activities across the region, which can be neutralized when Martial Law will be implemented or extended.
3. Promotes discipline: The Philippines has been observed to be an overly enjoying uprising, which is no longer a healthy sign to promote its social norms. The abuse of democracy is sporadically observed, especially for militant groups who have been always responsible for causing mass violence and damages to properties. The essence of discipline will be promoted when Martial Law is implemented so that the community will learn to respect and understand the rule of law on a long-term basis. Being a disciplined citizen promotes the ultimate agenda of the society to promote conflicting interests with other parties.
*READ: 5 Reasonable Facts why President Rodrigo Duterte wants a mandatory ROTC for grades 11 and 12
4. Prevents Illegal Trafficking: One of the most important agendas of President Rodrigo Duterte is to exterminate all individuals and groups responsible for distributing and producing methamphetamine hydrochloride in the area. Aside from the production of illegal substances, human trafficking is rampant in the island of Mindanao, allowing syndicates to target the poorest households to be trafficked to other parts of the world. President Rodrigo Duterte vows to eliminate all syndicates and cartels responsible for establishing trafficking activities to decrease both criminal and terrorist activities in the region.
5. Promotes Peace and Prosperity: Martial Law's aim is to promote peace and prosperity through the assistance of the Armed Forces of the Philippines and Philippine National Police. These two government agencies allow progress to generate across Mindanao island. The whole region of Mindanao is regarded the promised land, which is a potential area for new investments due to large quantities of natural resources that are still untapped as well as human resources to generate investments. The island of Mindanao has one of the best tourist sites in the Philippines where both local and international tourists could travel and can relax.
*READ: 5 Facts why Atom Araullo resigned as ABS-CBN field reporter
