By Dominique Gabriel G. Bañaga

Militant group Bukluran ng Manggagawang Pilipino (BMP) warned of the “re-imposition of open dictatorship” after President Rodrigo Duterte declared Martial Law over Mindanao, follow the recent terror attacks by the Abu Sayyaf Group (ASG) and the Maute Group in Marawi City, Lanao del Sur.
In an email to Watchmen Daily Journal, the group questions the legality of the declaration and is demanding Malacañan present its case as to why military rule is the solution for terror attacks.
BMP accused Duterte of “rushing into martial rule,” without exhausting other options.
“The fascist tendency of the Duterte regime is nearing its full bloom, through the re-imposition of open dictatorship,” the group said.
They claim the attack in Marawi City does not justify the imposition of military rule in a region, saying, the region is pursuing peace through revived negotiations between the Philippine government and the various armed groups of the Moro self-determination movement.
BMP pointed out, according to the 1987 Constitution, an uprising or insurrection must be present in order to justify the declaration of Martial Law; which differs from the 1973 and 1935 constitutions, where imminent danger or a threat to public safety is enough to justify military rule and the suspension of the writ of habeas corpus.
The group is demanding the president to reverse his declaration in Mindanao and called on him to address the longstanding conflicts in Mindanao./WDJ