(UPDATED) “Of all the days in the calendar, the Duterte government chooses September 21 to conduct a nationwide earthquake drill. Of the 365 days in a year, they had to choose this day when the nation commemorates Martial Law. Is government so insensitive to Martial Law victims? Is government so desperate that it seeks to derail the peaceful protests nationwide?” said Renato Reyes, Secretary General of Bagong Alyansang Makabayan (Bayan).
Reyes noted that the organizer of the nationwide earthquake drill, the Office of Civil Defense (OCD), is under the Department of National Defense (DND). This earthquake drill comes just two months after the MMDA drill.
Movement Against Tyranny (MAT) has called for a protest on September 21, the 45th anniversary of Ferdinand Marcos’ declaration of Martial Law. This is the first commemoration since 1972 that there is actually a Martial law in place in the country.
The protest would be held in Luneta Park at 4pm.
In their September 18 press statement, they said they learned of the earthquake drill only yesterday.
This morning, the OCD Facebook account posted photos of its visit to the Strike Gymnasium in Bacoor City, Cavite, the ceremonial venue of the drill on Thursday.
Before this, said Facebook account posted on the drill on September 15.
“Inaanyayahan natin ang bawat isa sa September 21, 2pm sabay-sabay tayong mag-duck, cover, and hold (We invite everyone, on September 21, 2pm to join us and duck, cover, and hold),” Office of Civil Defense spokesperson Romina Marasigan was recalled to have announced on September 8.
The less-than-a-month announcement and scanty reminders caused the organizers of the September 21 rally to speculate if this is being done to discourage participation in the protest.
The Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) also just finished spearheading a Metro Manila earthquake drill on July 14 to 17 in preparation for the “Big One”, a 7.2 magnitude earthquake in the West Valley Fault system. The MMDA organized annual earthquake drills in preparation for the “Big One” since 2015.
Derailing the protest?
Early last week, Duterte had earlier said he would be forced to declare a nationwide martial law if the communist rebels bring their armed struggle to the streets.
Then in an interview with Erwin Tulfo in his program “Sa Totoo Lang” aired on government television PTV4 on September 14, President Rodrigo Duterte said that he will not hesitate to use force if protesters on September 21 would break the law.
“Huwag kayong magpapasok ng sabihin niyo red army ninyo na may armas. Huwag kayong magkamali na magsira diyan, sira dito (Do not let your red army with guns enter your ranks. Do not vandal here and there), because if you do it the next thing, ang kaharap ninyo (you would be faced with) the army and the police,” said Duterte.
Duterte said he would not require a permit from the protesters because their freedom of expression and right to petition the government for redress of grievances are enshrined in the Philippine Constitution.
“But do not break the law, I will not hesitate to use force,” said Duterte.
He also said he would declare September 21 a holiday.
“So if it’s a massive demonstration, at this early, I am announcing that I am ordering a holiday para walang masaktan, walang ano kung may demonstration diyan, magkagulo. Walang trabaho ang gobyerno ‘yang araw na ‘yan at ang klase suspended. At lahat ng public places dito na gusto ninyong i-occupy, kunin ninyo (so no one will get hurt, if things will go awry. No work in government that day and classes will be suspended. And all the public places you want to occupy, go ahead),” said Duterte.
He also said there will be no military and police to guard against the protest and there will be a lean number of policemen to maintain traffic. He also said he can take the insult of protesters burning an effigy of his image.
There is yet to be an announcement on the declaration of September 21 as a holiday as of this posting. The anniversary of Martial Law is not among the regular and special non-working holidays listed in Duterte’s Proclamation No. 50 on August 16, 2016.
On September 15, in the Mindanao Hour briefing, DND Secretary Delfin Lorenzana was in the headlines after he said that the president would declare Martial Law the following week, or the same week as the announced Martial Law protest. Such headlines has since been updated to quote Lorenzana directly, who said the president might declare Martial Law if the protest gets out of hand.
“Sinabi na rin ni Presidente ‘yan eh. Sabi niya, kung the… mga… ‘yung left, sabi niya, ‘Kung left will try to have a massive protest, magsunog sila sa kalsada (The President has said it. If the left will try to have a massive protest, burn things in the roads), they will disrupt the country, then I might,’” said Lorenzana.
Activists has decried these pronouncements, saying Duterte and his officials are trying to create a culture of fear around the September 21 protest or preempt people from joining the rally.
“He [Duterte] also said he would declare a holiday on the 21st, apparently in order to keep students and employees at home and prevent them from going to Luneta en masse from their schools and workplaces,” said a September 18 press statement of MAT.
Various sectors also said that the NPA guerillas coming down to join the rally are improbable since they conduct the civil war in the mountains, and said that this statement and the protest might be used by Duterte to justify a Martial Law declaration in the whole country.
“In an effort to scare the rally participants, Pres. Duterte hinted that armed members of the New People’s Army would join the event and threatened to declare martial law nationwide if the rally turned violent,” also cited MAT’s statement.
Buckling?
On September 16, in his meeting with a prisoner-of-war released by the New People’s Army (NPA), Duterte was heard to thank the communists and called them ‘kaibigan ko’ (my friends) and said that he is open to peace talks with the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) and NPA represented by the National Democratic Front of the Philippines (NDFP), the first time he has reversed strong statements of terminating the peace talks since he cancelled the 5th round of talks in May.
“I’d like to thank the Communist Party of the Philippines, the NDF, and the CPP-NPA-NDF combined for the humanitarian gesture of releasing a policeman taken hostage. Wala namang kasalanan ‘to, except to do the duty, law and order, at tsaka maganda ang…” said Duterte.
He also commended them for the treatment of SPO2 George Canete Rupinta, which he said upheld international humanitarian law.
“Well of course, I would have to say, because I should share that I see it that all prisoners of war have been treated well in accordance with the Conventions of Geneva. And for that, I also would like to acknowledge their respect for the law. At wala naman talagang itong isang buhay kung papatayin mo lang (It does not amount to any [victory] to take one life),” said Duterte.
He noted Rupinta’s heart condition and said that the release was a good decision.
“Good na ni-release ninyo, kasi kung namatay ito sa kamay ninyong mga kaibigan ko, magkakaroon tayo ng problema, at least sa mga pulis (It’s good that you released him, because if he died in your hands, my friends, we will have a problem, at least with the police),” said Duterte.
He went on to say he is open to continue with the peace talks with the revolutionary movement led by the CPP-NPA-NDFP.
“Pag-usapan natin ‘yan ng masinsinan (Let’s talk about this seriously). Do not be in a hurry because we have been fighting for the last 50 years. And you just cannot ignore that period of violence and killing on both sides…. So that is how it operates here. Now, if you want to resume the talks, I am not averse to the idea, but let me sort out first the other branches of government,” said Duterte.
Just the day before he said this, he said in his interview with Tulfo that he will follow NDFP Chief Political Consultant Joma Sison’s position to not resume the talks.
“Pareho kami. Sundan ko na lang siya. Kung ayaw niya, ayaw ko na rin. (We have the same position. I will just follow him. If he does not want it, I don’t want it, too.) So there will be no talks for the next five years, said Duterte.
Meanwhile, Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) Chief of Staff General Eduardo Año in an ambush interview in Camp Aguinaldo on September 16 claimed no knowledge of a Martial Law declaration this week.
“I am not aware of any such kind of plan or intention, so kami naman ang (we in the) Armed Forces we react and we do appropriate actions as the threats come or a situation…’Yung rally rally normal lang ‘yun kahit na magrally pa ‘yung napakaraming rallyista diyan (rallies are normal even if there would be a lot of protesters), it’s normal. It’s part of our democratic space, it’s freedom of expression,” replied Año on the question about a new Martial Law declaration.
Año also answered a question on the status of NDFP consultants, saying there is no move to re-arrest them since there has been no formal termination of the peace talks and some of the consultants are out on bail in relation with the talks.
“Nag-aantay pa kami ng final advise and order kasi ang nakalagay kasi dun sa kasunduan there must be a formal notification for the withdrawal on the peace talks so sa ngayon wala pang sineserve na final notice for the withdrawal on the peace talks. Tapos dun sa agreement, alam ko pag sinerve mo yung notice it would take about a month before you can start the arrest. Except for those who are on bail, ‘yung mga grupo nila tiamzon sila binigyan sila ng bail for the purpose of attending the peace talks. So if there’s for example there was a notice na tapos na peace talks hindi sila covered ng 30 days kasi on bail lang sila. Automatically canceled ang bail nila (We are awaiting final advise and order because one of the signed agreements said there should be formal notification for withdrawal and now there is no final notice for the withdrawal on the peace talks. Also in the agreement, it would take about a month before you can start the arrest. Except for those on bail, the group of the Tiamzons are on bail for the purpose of attending the peace talks. So if there’s a notice that the peace talks are over, they are not covered by the 30 days. Their bail are automatically cancelled),” said Año.
Año and Lorenzana had been criticized by peace and human rights advocates for opposing peace talks and jumping the gun on Duterte’s negative pronouncements on the peace talks with the NDFP.
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(Featured image: President Rodrigo Roa Duterte, in his speech during the 24th Anniversary celebration of the Office of the Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process (OPAPP) at the Malacañan Palace on September 14, 2017, expresses his gratitude to the workers of OPAPP who have dedicated their efforts in achieving just and lasting peace in the country. ALBERT ALCAIN/PRESIDENTIAL PHOTO)
(This story was updated to include MAT’s statement.)
