Youth groups slam Duterte over threat of martial law in Mindanao

By CONG B. CORRALES
Correspondent

YOUTH organizations and human rights advocates here yesterday strongly condemned President Duterte’s threat to declare martial law in Mindanao even as they called his pronouncements a “rhetoric of hate.”

Vennel Chenfoo, Kabataan Party-list coordinator for northern Mindanao, said Duterte’s penchant to warn about the possible declaration of martial rule in the country has become anathema to the his campaign promises of change.

“Hugot nga ginakondena sa mga kabatan-onan sa Mindanao ang hulga sa martial law ni Duterte,” said Chenfoo.

On Thursday night, an emotionally charged Duterte addressed Mindanao mayors: “Either tulungan ninyo ako or I will declare martial law tomorrow for Mindanao.”

Duterte’s  pronouncement comes in the heels of a bloody ambush in Bansalan, Davao del Sur where four police officers were killed. The New People’s Army has been blamed for the ambush.

Chenfoo said his group group is ready to dramatize their resistance to any form of repression of human rights even as he enjoined Filipinos to remove their “blinders.”

“Sa dagan sa mga adlaw, ginapakita na niini nga usa siya ka pasista, diktador ug ga idolo kay Marcos. Hugot nga mubarog ang kabatan-onan sa Mindanao para batukan kini,” Chenfoo said.

Alliance for the Advancement of People’s Rights (Karapatan) secretary general Cristina Palabay, for her part, denounced the recent “hate rhetoric” of Duterte especially on his orders to members of the Armed Forces and the National Police to “flatten the hills,” and to drop bombs on suspected NPA encampments.

“These statements, along with the continuing implementation of counter-insurgency programs Oplan Bayanihan and Oplan Kapayapaan and the AFP’s declaration of all-out war, are being used by the military and police as license to kill and arrest civilians, including leaders and members of people’s organizations,” Palabay said.

Palabay said Duterte should not use the Bansalan incident to justify more human rights violations, adding that the Duterte administration has been bombing communities “even at the onset of your administration.”

“These fascist attacks against the people and struggling communities through counter-insurgency programs, together with the relentless extrajudicial killing of poor people through the war on drugs and measures to revive the death penalty under a rotten justice system, are compelling reasons to continue the peacetalks between the GRP and the National Democratic Front of the Philippines and for the people to fight back against repressive and anti-people policies under the Duterte administration,” Palabay said.

Meanwhile, the League of Filipino Students in northern Mindanao slammed the Duterte administration over the President’s threat to declare martial rule.

In a statement, LFS-NMR chairperson Kristine Cabardo said the recent threat of Duterte has triggered widespread concern and fear among Mindanaoans.

“Dili sayon ug dili makatawhanon ang martial law, labaw sa tanan gipakita na sa kasaysayan na ang pagpahamtang sa maong balaod muresulta lamang sa paghikaw sa civil liberties ug mas mupagrabe sa mga pagpanglapas sa tawhanong katungod,” Cabardo said.

Cabardo also took a swipe at the President’s revived “Oplan Tokhang,” calling it a campaign to justify Duterte’s “lust for blood.”

“Angay lamang na babagan sa katawhan, hilabin na sa mga batan-on ang pasista ug militarista nga panghuna-huna niining administrasyon. Usa ka kultura nga bayolente ug puno sa kahadlok ang ginapakaylap niini nga klase sa panghuna-huna,” said Cabardo.