“This is not martial law,” the president says.
This is true, in the legal sense: the president did not declare one in the first place—and it can only be declared if there is rebellion (there is an ongoing one for the past 51 years), an invasion, or if required by public safety.
This is true, in the legal sense: the president did not declare one in the first place—and it can only be declared if there is rebellion (there is an ongoing one for the past 51 years), an invasion, or if required by public safety.
But then, the president treats the pandemic like an invasion, like a rebellion, like an insurgency—in short, war. It seems to be this regime’s favorite word, such that the state of national emergency becomes translated as a “state of war against an unseen enemy.”
“We are in a state of war”—so retired generals who led the government’s brutal counterinsurgency campaigns need to be at the helm of the fight against this “unseen enemy.” Military rule is now virtually imposed on an already militarized civilian bureaucracy because we are at war.
With civilian authority subordinated by military control, we now have nothing but militarist marching orders: obey and follow and stay at home—or get arrested. “Ang lahat ng lalabas nang walang sa oras, babarilin na,” a police chief says while hitting someone with a stick.
“We are in a state of war” so the president needs emergency powers including the power to define and penalize “false information.” This is a president with the propensity to lie and spread dubious data, a president that flip-flops with public statements and has an army of trolls.
“Ang karapatang pantao ay nawawala pagdating ng state of emergency... ‘yung writ of habeas corpus ay nawawala na po ‘yan,” says one of his cabinet members, who handles barangay affairs. A barangay captain jails violators in dog cages; another makes them stay under the sun.
The police have direct control and supervision over checkpoints in barangays. Military deployment in communities, particularly in rural areas, have intensified to supposedly enforce quarantine measures. Disobey and face punishment—unless you’re a close ally of the regime.
The “unseen enemy” is a virus that continues to spread as the government refuses to take the necessary public health measures—preferring instead policies that resemble counterinsurgency tactics designed to supposedly squash insurgencies, all without addressing their root causes.
“This is not martial law,” the president says.
This is true, in the legal sense—but everything is already in place, the only thing missing is a formal declaration. But the president doesn’t need one anymore: he is already implementing martial law without declaring it.
This is true, in the legal sense—but everything is already in place, the only thing missing is a formal declaration. But the president doesn’t need one anymore: he is already implementing martial law without declaring it.
