Delfin Lorenzana 鈥擩OAN BONDOC
President Duterte said protest rallies planned for the 45th anniversary of the declaration of martial law by the late dictator Ferdinand Marcos next week would not be disturbed by government forces but warned organizers he would send soldiers and police to quell any violence.
Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana told reporters in Malaca帽ang that the President had considered the possibility of placing the entire country under martial law over fears that the protests might get out of control, but the prospect of such a declaration was 鈥渧ery remote.鈥�
National Security Adviser Hermogenes Esperon Jr. said martial law was 鈥渁lways an option鈥� for the President and Mr. Duterte would 鈥渢ake the initiative to address鈥� any violence.
鈥楧o not destroy, burn鈥�
In an interview late on Thursday on state-run television PTV 4, Mr. Duterte did not say whether he would take extreme measures such as expanding the coverage of martial law that had been imposed in Mindanao if the Sept. 21 rally turned violent.
Addressing organizers of next Thursday鈥檚 rally, the President said in the TV interview: 鈥淭his is the only thing I ask of you: Do not destroy, vandalize, burn things down.鈥�
鈥淒o not make the mistake of destroying things because if you do that, the next thing you would face would be the military and the police,鈥� he said.
But he added in jest that protesters 鈥渃an set fire to my effigy.鈥�
He also warned protesters not to allow members of the 鈥渞ed army鈥濃�攖he New People鈥檚 Army鈥攖o join their ranks.
Sept. 21 rally
The Movement Against Tyranny is planning a big rally at听 Rizal Park on Thursday with the theme: 鈥淪top the killings! Never again to tyranny and dictatorship!鈥�
Organizers said they would protest the President鈥檚 war on drugs and Mr. Duterte鈥檚 alleged strongman tendencies. Thousands have died in police antidrug operations and attacks by unknown assailants.
The rally is being organized by a coalition that includes leftwing groups and opposition personalities, many of whom had fought the Marcos dictatorship.
Mr. Duterte last week warned that he would not hesitate to declare martial law throughout the country if there would be open rebellion in the streets.
In Malaca帽ang, Lorenzana quoted the President as saying, 鈥淚f the Left will try to have a massive protest, burn things in the street, they will disrupt the country, then I might [expand martial law].鈥�
鈥淚n my view, in my estimate, it is very remote that this would happen,鈥� Lorenzana said.
听
鈥楳isleading鈥� headline
The controversy on when the President might declare martial law for the rest of the country prompted presidential spokesperson Ernesto Abella to slam the Inquirer for 鈥渋rresponsibly鈥� repeating the 鈥渕isleading鈥� headline by the French news agency Agence France-Presse (AFP), which said it could be as early as 鈥渘ext week.鈥�
Abella said the headline on the Inquirer鈥檚 news website Inquirer.net was a 鈥渢acky trick to attract鈥� readers.
The Inquirer.net soon published a corrected version of the report. The original story was carried by other news websites, but Abella鈥檚 statement only criticized the Inquirer.
READ: Lorenzana on nationwide declaration of martial law: 鈥楻emote possibility鈥�
Lorenzana told reporters he doubted the Left would be able to stage 鈥渁 massive demonstration across the country, disrupting the civil government or the lives of the people. I don鈥檛 think it will happen.鈥�
He also said the military and local governments nationwide had not monitored any planned massive protests by antigovernment groups.
鈥淲e do not have those indications in our reports,鈥� Lorenzana said.
Speaker Pantaleon Alvarez also dismissed reports that the President might declare martial law in response to the Sept. 21 rally.
鈥淗e has not mentioned anything like that,鈥� he said, adding, 鈥淵ou know the President, he says a lot of things.鈥�
Growing criticism
Mr. Duterte has faced growing criticism and protests over his deadly crackdown against illegal drugs, the imposition of martial law in Mindanao in May to quell an uprising by Islamic State supporters in Marawi, and the devastation of the Islamic city that resulted from the fighting.
His decision to allow the burial of Marcos at Libingan ng mga Bayani last November has also shocked democracy and human rights advocates.
In the television interview, Mr. Duterte said he would not be affected by any protests because he was not up for reelection.
鈥淚 do not have to make myself popular,鈥� he said.
The President said he would allow the protesters to occupy any public space and authorities would deploy a lean contingent of police officers to control the traffic so that other people not taking part in the rally would not be inconvenienced.
听
鈥楽elf-fulfilling prophecy鈥�
Karapatan, a human rights group, said the threat of nationwide martial law was 鈥渁n expression of the Duterte regime鈥檚 fear of its own demons.鈥�
Renato Reyes Jr., secretary general of Bagong Alyansang Makabayan, said Malaca帽ang was trying to scare people from joining peaceful mass actions by saying that the protests could become violent.
Jose Maria Sison, founder of the Communist Party of the Philippines, said that to realize their 鈥渟elf-fulfilling prophecy,鈥� the President and his defense chief 鈥渨ould disrupt protest actions and resort to dirty tricks so they can declare martial law nationwide鈥� as Marcos had done.
鈥淸Mr. Duterte] will not last long if he declares martial law,鈥� Sison said in a statement. 鈥擶ITH REPORTS FROM MARLON RAMOS, DJ YAP, JHESSET O. ENANO, DELFIN T. MALLARI JR., AP AND AFP
READ:听WHAT WENT BEFORE: Martial in Mindanao