(Eagle News) — We don’t believe martial law is needed but we respect the “prerogative” of the President to request for such.
The Commission on Human Rights had this to say after Congress voted to extend martial law in Mindanao for one more year, thereby approving the proposal for the same of President Rodrigo Duterte.
In a statement, the CHR said, however, that there was a “need to address accounts of human rights violations on the ground.”
“There is..a need to investigate allegations of looting by the military, unlawful/arbitrary arrests, military presence in (internally displaced persons) camps, cases of profiling, military harassment, enforced disappearance, torture, and extrajudicial killings,” the CHR said.
The commission said it was “incumbent upon the government to observe and ensure the safeguards of the Constitution and our laws to prevent abuses.”
It also urged the government to “(hold) account(able) both state and non-state actors responsible for the atrocities committed against the local residents.”
“The CHR commits to extend all the possible assistance to Task Force Bangon Marawi in rebuilding the communities and ensur(ing) that the IDPs rights to access to education, shelter, food, water, and proper sanitation, among others, are fulfilled by the government ,” the commission said.
“The Commission..will closely monitor its implementation and denounce any form of abuses, consistent with our mandate and oath of service to the Filipino people,” the CHR added.
