​State of national emergency

PHILIPPINES - In Brief 06 Sep 2016 by Romeo Bernardo

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Malacanang today issued Proclamation 55, two days after President Rodrigo Durterte declared a state of national emergency. The Proclamation commanded the Armed Forces of the Philippines, together with the Philippine National Police, “to undertake such measures as may be permitted by the Constitution and existing laws to suppress any and all forms of lawless violence in Mindanao and to prevent such lawless violence from spreading and escalating elsewhere in the Philippines with due regard to the fundamental civil and political rights of our citizens." Under Article VII Section 18 of the Philippine Constitution, the President as Commander-in-Chief of the armed forces can call on such armed forces “to prevent or suppress lawless violence.”The President put the country under a state of national emergency Sunday following a bombing incident in the night market of his hometown city of Davao. The incident, traced to the terrorist/bandit group Abu Sayyaf, killed 14 civilians and injured 67 others. The Proclamation describes other incidents of terrorist and criminal acts and states that "based on government intelligence reports, there exist credible threats of further terror attacks and other similar acts of violence by lawless elements in other parts of the country, including the metropolitan areas."Under the Proclamation, the state of national emergency will remain in force and effect "until lifted or withdrawn by the President.” The President has said that it will be indefinite.The declaration, made right before the President left for his first international trip to Laos for the ASEAN summit, has been calmly received by the general populace and members of congress; an indica...