Karapatan strongly urge Duterte to immediately lift martial law in Mindanao, and to stop loaded caveats regarding putting the entire country under martial law. There are inviolable rights that cannot be foregone, regardless of place, time or context.
President Rodrigo Duterte presides over a special Cabinet meeting at the Presidential Guest House in Panacan, Davao City on Thursday, May 25, 2017. Duterte called for a special Cabinet meeting after declaring a state of Martial Law in Mindanao on May 23, 2017 following a terrorist attack in Marawi City. (Presidential Photo)
Sowing the Seeds of Peace opposes the declaration of Martial Law in Mindanao. Martial Law throws out the headways in the peace processes between the Philippine government, the Moro Islamic Liberation Front, the Moro National Liberation Front, and the National Democratic Front of the Philippines.
President Rodrigo Duterte meets with Russian Federation President Vladimir Putin at the Kremlin in Moscow prior to his return to the Philippines on May 24, 2017. Duterte opted to skip his scheduled engagements and cut his official visit to the Russian Federation short after declaring a state of Martial Law in Mindanao due to the terror crisis gripping Marawi City. PRESIDENTIAL PHOTO
We need to reframe the Mindanao situation, rather than revive the inaccurate narratives and brutal formula of old.