By Priam Nepomuceno – PNA
MANILA — The Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) is confident that its report recommending the extension of martial law in Mindanao will be able to withstand scrutiny of legislators.
“We already have prepared for that, actually the presentation, it will just be an assessment of the current situation and it depends on the people who are affected by martial law,” military public affairs office chief Col. Noel Detoyato said in an interview with DZBB Sunday.
He added that the responsible staff has already prepared for this presentation.
“We are confident about our report, on the decision, we leave it to the wisdom of the lawmakers,” the AFP official added.
The AFP is scheduled to conduct a security briefing with senators Monday to tackle the proposed extension of martial law in Mindanao.
Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana said he is supporting the AFP’s recommendation for a one-year extension of martial law on the island due to the presence of terrorists and the need to neutralize them.
Earlier, Malacañang said it would depend on the recommendation of the AFP on whether martial law will be extended after the end of the year. Martial law in Mindanao was declared on May 23, 2017 following attacks launched by the Maute Group in Marawi City.
The House of Representatives, in a special joint session in July last year, granted the extension of martial law until Dec. 31, 2017 at the President’s request.
The Senate and House of Representatives, convening in a joint session early December, granted the Chief Executive’s request for the extension of martial law and the suspension of the privilege of the writ of habeas corpus for a period of one year from Jan. 1 to Dec. 31, 2018.
