Oppone­nts say martia­l law illega­l if no rebell­ion, invasi­onMANILA: Philippine lawmakers on Wednesday overwhelmingly backed President Rodrigo Duterte’s plan to extend martial law for all of next year on the southern island of Mindanao, a move the government says aims to thwart rebels. The extension, until December 31 next year, would mark the longest period of martial law since the 1970s era of late strongman Ferdinand Marcos, one of the darkest and most oppressive chapters of the country’s recent history. Marcos was accused of inventing security threats to justify tightening his grip on power and crushing detractors. “We have made martial law the new normal, absent of any proof of invasion or rebellion,” he said. “Martial law now desensitizes the people to wrongly equate it with good governance and democracy.”Opponents queried why a communist insurgency omitted from Duterte’s initial request was cited two days later as a reason to extend martial law, despite the government having called the movement a spent force.

Source: The Express Tribune December 13, 2017 08:03 UTC