PRO MARTIAL LAW. Maguindanao Governor Bai Mariam Sangki-Mangudadatu believes martial law should continue in Maguindanao because this is what peace-loving Maguindanaons want. The governor expressed her desire for the extension of martial law in Mindanao for another more year on Tuesday (Nov. 12, 2019). (Photo courtesy of Maguindanao PIO)
COTABATO CITY -- Maguindanao Governor Bai Mariam Sangki-Mangudadatu on Tuesday said she wants martial law to continue in Mindanao, particularly in her province.
“Martial law has given good results for the people of Maguindanao,” Mangudadatu said over a radio station here Tuesday.
The governor believes martial law should continue in Maguindanao because this is what peace-loving Maguindanaons want.
A number of military and defense officials have said that martial law extension is no longer necessary since normalcy has been restored in Marawi and most parts of the island.
But for Mangudadatu, the presence of military and state forces in crime-prone areas and communities vulnerable to violent extremism had helped a lot in preventing terrorism.
A random survey conducted by the provincial government showed that all 36 town mayors in Maguindanao favor the continuation of martial law, believing that it serves as a preemptive measure against extremists.
Mangudadatu said unless the Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters (BIFF) is defeated, martial law must continue not only in Maguindanao but in neighboring areas as well.
In a separate interview, Cotabato City Mayor Frances Cynthia Guiani-Sayadi also favors the extension of martial law, saying it has led to more than 50 percent of the drop of crimes in the locality for the past two years.
“The City Council even came up with an overnight ‘discipline hour’ period just to maintain peace and order in support of the martial law declaration,” the mayor said. (PNA)
