(Eagle News) — Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana emphasized on Wednesday that President Rodrigo Duterte’s imposition of martial law in Mindanao was “imperative.”
Lorenzana issued the statement after minority bloc senators noted the defense secretary had said in a May 29 executive session that security forces could contain the Maute group in Marawi even without the martial law proclamation.
The senators made the revelation in arguing for the convening of a joint session of Congress that will look into whether or not there was basis for the declaration of martial law in Mindanao.
The senators in the minority bloc include Risa Hontiveros, Franklin Drilon, Francis Pangilinan, Bam Aquino, Antonio Trillanes IV and Leila de Lima.
Senator Leila de Lima, however, is facing a string of drug cases and is detained at Camp Crame.
“(Lorenzana) clarifies that during the executive session in the Senate on May 29, what he said was that security forces can contain the situation in Marawi even without martial law. However, he emphasized that martial law is imperative to once and for all address the security concerns in the entire Mindanao immediately and decisively,” Lorenzana said in a statement read by Brigadier General Restituto Padilla, military spokesperson.
According to the defense chief, the “situation currently being dealt with by security state forces goes beyond Marawi City.”
President Duterte’s imposition of martial law in Mindanao, Lorenzana said, “aims to put an end to a long-running rebellion in various provinces in the south as evidenced by the incidents that have happened in Zamboanga, Davao, Bohol, Lanao, Basilan, Sulu, Tawi Tawi and Maguindanao.”
“As the President repeatedly said, ‘Kung magdedeclare ako ng martial law, tatapusin ko na ang lahat ng ito,’ referring to the threats posed by ISIS-linked local and foreign terrorist groups whose network covers the entire Mindanao,” he said in the statement.