COTABATO CITY --- A member of the 9th Regional Legislative Assembly (RLA) of the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (RLA-ARMM) has expressed his views on the ongoing siege in the Islamic City of Marawi.
Nearly three months now, a contingent of
roughly 300 local terrorist or ISIS-inspired Mauteand Abu Sayyaf groups and
other rebel fighters are engaged in a fire-fight with the Armed Forces of the
Philippines in the city of Marawi that resulted to social and economic
disruptions or instability.
Atty. Amenodin U. Sumagayan, assemblyman of
the First District ofLanao del Sur, said this tragic incident resulted in over
hundreds of civilians killed, including those who died of illness, and hundreds
of thousands who have evacuated and been displaced.
“The siege caught us off-guard and it has
continued to haunt us even until now. As a Filipino citizen and a native
Meranao, I am greatly disheartened by this troubling matter as I have witnessed
first-hand what has happened to our beloved city. We did not wish for this to
happen and we also did not deem it to last this long,” Sumagayan said.
Sumagayan said the past months are just too
much for the people of Marawi to bear.
He emphasized that they have all fallen
victims of these terror acts and he is
deeply saddened to see his fellow Maranaos and Christians “as they fled with
distressed minds and troubled hearts.”
“These terrorists have vandalized what our
beautiful city stands for. I believe we’ve been terribly shocked and saddened
by this happening, considering that this has befallen our city during the Holy
Month of Ramadan. What do these terrorists hope to achieve? An Islamic State?
If so, did they even consider some other measures rather than extremism and
instilling fear to the people? How can Islam, a religion that promotes peace,
be a vessel of terror? This should be condemned in its strongest possible
terms. This time, I am of the opinion that Death Penalty should be restored,”
he said.
Sumagayan added that it is just ironic and
unacceptable that these terrorists used Islam as an excuse for them to do such
destructive attack.
“It is really sad to note that many have
perished and lost so much in this worthless effort only to uplift extremist
ideologies,” he shared.
Sumagayan also pointed out that due to
massive collateral damage to properties in the billions of pesos, an estimated
amount of another billion of pesos worth of personal properties and money had
been looted all over the city.
“This terrorist act has taken a great toll to
the people of Marawi.They are the real victims of this fruitless war,” he said.
Further, Sumagayan said what is really heart-breaking
are the sufferings and hardships that the disgruntled internally displaced persons
(IDPs) are experiencing as a result of the incident.
“Even until now, the situation of the IDPs had
never been easy although most of them have been provided with relief
items. They continue to worry about
their homes and properties left in Marawi, especially now that news of looting
and burning of houses have been circling around. Nobody knows what will be the
faith of these IDPs after the Marawi Crisis,” he said.
Sumagayan then suggested that the government
and other private donors should study carefully on how they can sustain the
relief operations for these IDPs for the next succeeding months.
“As to the looting and burning of houses
incidents, these criminal acts happened in those cleared areas in the city and
are secured by our AFP and PNP personnel. This is a very big question. While we
continue to assure our IDPs that everything will soon be all right, it is still
beyond our control for them to think of the worst that could happen,” he said.
Sumagayan appealed to the AFP and the PNP
personnel deployed in the province of Lanao del Sur to faithfully do their
duties in accordance with the law.
“Even though the Martial Law declaration of
President Duterte has been extended in the island of Mindanao, may the Constitution
and Human Rights be upheld at all times,” he said.
Sumagayan shared he was also a victim of some
unscrupulous AFP and PNP personnel violating their mandate and disregard his
rights as a citizen of this country.
“In one incident, while on my way to the
provincial capitol to attend an urgent meeting with the city ,ayor and the
provincial vice governor, I was flagged down for almost an hour by a group of
police personnel from the Regional Public Safety Battalion (RPSB) of the
Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao assigned in Barangay Matampay, despite my
introduction that I am an assemblyman of the district where the city of Marawi
belongs. When I asked her the reason why should I not be allowed to pass, she
replied to me in a very disrespectful manner that it is an order from their
superiors that everybody entering Marawi City should be treated as an enemy and,
therefore, should not be allowed to enter during that time. The worst thing is
while my car was parked and I was communicating with the provincial capitol, I
saw at least three civilian cars that were randomly allowed to enter. Secondly,
while on our way from Taraka with my wife, the mayor, in a military checkpoint
in the municipality of Madalum, these men in uniform suddenly opened our doors
without even asking first our permission and without even asking who the
passengers are and didn’t even care to ask regarding our itinerary,” Sumagayannarrated.
Sumagayanreiteratedthat it is a public
knowledge that without a search warrant, the so- called “plain view” doctrine
should be observed in checkpoints even during Martial Law.
“Even during the Suspension of the Privilege
of the Writ of Habeas Corpus, the rules on warrantless searches or arrest
should also be strictly observed, with the exception of those accused of crimes
of rebellion or crimes related to or connected to invasion,” he said.
Although there are really some men in uniform
who sometimes exceeded their mandate,
Sumagayan said he believes that in total “our AFP and PNP personnel who
fought against these terrorist deserve commendation for the bravery they have
shown.”
“In order for us to be more informed of the
causes of this tragedy and in aid of legislation, I urge the proper committees
of theAssembly to call for a thorough investigation on these pressing issues.
While this representation is fully aware of the state of Martial Law in Mindanao,
as legislators we are responsible for the well-being of our constituents,” he
emphasized.
Sumagayan said he believes they have the
right to ask legitimate questions over this matter.
“How did this ongoing battle in the city
started? How did this terror groupenter the city of Marawi? What preventive
measures were taken by our government troops before this terror attack? What is
the present condition of our IDPs in the different evacuation centers? Who is
responsible for these looting and burning of houses in the cleared and secured
areas in the city? Is the staging of this war that destroyed Marawi City the
only solution to neutralize these terrorist? These are some of the questions
that need reliable answers. This way, we
can also extend assistance, through counter-active legislations, that would
help strengthen the government’s measures on public safety and order,”
Sumagayan stressed.
Meanwhile, AssemblymanAbolAlamPadate of the Second
District of Lanao del Sur also shared his sad experience.
“For instance, some of my friends told me
that when you would want to visit your house and then they granted it, nobody
will escort when you don’t have the money. I believe there are good and bad
soldiers because nobody is perfect. But I had this bad personal experience… I
was trying to pass one time and they could politely approach me but they
didn’t. Nagpakilalaakonaabogado, pero ang
sinabi lang nya, Attorney pasensiyana, Martial Law ngayon, kami ang batas,”
Padate claimed.
Sumagayan said it is a must to stay more
vigilant in standing against terror.
“The people of Marawi are resilient people,
but they need our help to start building Marawi again as a better place to live
in. Now, as we continue to support the efforts of the government in suppressing
or ending terrorism, we should also be mindful that the rights, liberty, and
property of our constituents would not be trampled,” he pointed out.
Sumagayan also called on his fellow Meranaos
and the Filipino brothers and sisters to come together and help build a new
Marawi.
“This is not the time to give up, instead
this is a time to stay strong and optimistic. Marawi City is the oldest and
most populated in our region. What happened in the city is already a global
issue and, therefore, deserves a total rehabilitation or development with an
international standard,” he said. (GILMHAR
A. LAO& ANNE ACOSTA- MINDANAO EXPOSE’)
