The Malacañan Palace has released the guidelines of implementation of the national state of emergency on Wednesday, September 7.
The Malacañan Palace on Wednesday, September 7, has released the guidelines of implementation of the state of national emergency on account of lawless violence in Mindanao.
President Rodrigo Duterte on September 4 declared a state of lawless violence following the Davao City Night Market bombing on September 2, late Friday evening, which claimed 14 lives and injured more than 60 others.
Duterte said that there exists “credible threats of further terror attacks and other similiar acts in other parts of the country, including metropolitan areas”.
According to the Memorandum Order (MO) No. 3 signed by Executive Secretary Salvador Medialdea, under the chief executive’s directives, the state of emergency shall prevail to prevent more lives and properties to be put at risk because of any atrocity, cause by any group, that might take place in the future.
It also sets rules for collaboration between the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) and the Philippine National Police (PNP). He also said that the Department of National Defense (DND) and the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) should coordinate immediately to suppress terrorism in the Philippines.
The DND oversees the AFP while the DILG does the same to the PNP.
The guidelines also direct the security forces to deploy personnel on major streets and crowded places.
The government will intensify local and transnational intelligence operations.
Sec. Medialdea said that the local government units’ cooperation would be of great help.
The guidelines assure that there will be no “warrantless arrest” in the implementation of state of national emergency, except for some considerations allowed by law.
But while the country fears the declaration of state of lawlessness would be a pre-requisite to the declaration of Martial Law, Medialdea said the president has no such intention.
“The constitutional rights of every individual shall be respected”, said Medialdea.