“Constitution and Human Rights be upheld:” Assemblyman Sumagayanon Marawi crisis

COTABATO CITY --- A member of the 9^th 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’)