Robredo supports military effort to normalize Marawi situation

May 24, 2017

Vice President Leni Robredo expressed her support to the military on its effort to normalize the situation in Marawi City, where three government forces and 12 others were wounded in fighting against the Maute Brothers Group. Robredo said the military vows to observe human rights amid Tuesday night announcement of President Rodrigo Duterte placing Mindanao under martial law for 60 days. “The leadership of Armed Forces of the Philippines assures us earlier that if they will implement the martial law, they promised to protect the basic rights of our people,” she said. “For me let us wait for the official’s declaration of our president, anyway under the constitution within 48 hours our president will submit to congress necessary information why it is needed,” she added. “Their main target is to normalize the situation in Marawi, whatever is needed to make that happened we will support that, and we also encourage everyone to support,” Robredo said in an ambush interview after meeting the Armed Forces of the Philippines leadership for a briefing. Robredo also called for the public to unite and cooperate with security forces to address the situation in southern Philippines. “This is the time when we need to unit, this is the time that we need to protect the security of our country, this is not the time for us to be separated, this is what the AFP requested to us, to ask for our people’s cooperation,” she said. Robredo said the security briefing was given by Major General Noel Clement of the chief for operations of the AFP. She said also in the briefing were AFP Deputy Chief of Staff, Major General Salvador Melchor Mison Jr. and Defense Undersecretary Eduardo Del Rosario. Robredo urged people “not to go out of their houses, but if they have information, what we asked to everyone is to cooperate.” “Our security is not only the job of our soldiers and police, this is also our obligation, that is what they asked for now,” she added. Col. Edgard Arevalo, Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) public affairs chief, confirmed that despite the announcement of martial law in Mindanao, the military does not yet received a written order or instruction. What we have heard is just declaration from the president we have not yet receive a clear written guidelines, instruction or order as to how we are going to implement this,” he said. Robina Asido/DMS