MANILA, Philippines — Six in every 10 Filipinos oppose the extension of martial law in Mindanao beyond 2017, the fourth quarter survey of Social Weather Stations (SWS) showed.

Conducted from Dec. 8 to 16 with results released last Friday, the survey showed that 62 percent believe extending martial rule is no longer necessary since the siege in Marawi City is already over. Twenty six percent approve of the extension while the remaining 12 percent were undecided.

Malacañang decried the way the survey questions were formed, as presidential spokesman Harry Roque said its framing failed to consider the real sentiments of the people in Mindanao, who were satisfied with the peace and security situation in the region during martial law implementation.

“We understand the sentiment of the public when 62 percent of the respondents said they oppose martial law extension in Mindanao, given the construction of the survey question which began with ‘Dahil tapos na ang giyera sa Marawi City…’ (Because the war in Marawi City is over…),” Roque pointed out.

He explained that it is precisely because of the implementation of martial law that Mindanao has a “seemingly peaceful environment,” which makes people believe that the war is over.

“Martial law allowed our defenders to keep the Daesh, their supporters and remnants in check. If martial law had not been implemented, the current situation in the communities in Mindanao would have been vastly different,” Roque stressed.

The spokesman said it is important that the Filipino public is aware of the context behind the extension.

“We have to explain to our people that what the Daesh-Maute did in Marawi was just the tip of the iceberg. The Dawlah Ismaliya remains determined to establish an IS wilayat in Mindanao…(but) with martial law in place, our defenders can establish a tighter net against these rebels and terrorists who will not stop until they are completely defeated,” Roque added.

With martial law in place, the military would also be able to aid and secure the various government agencies tasked with rehabilitating Marawi City at the soonest time, he also said.

According to the SWS survey, opposition to the extension of martial law in Mindanao beyond Dec. 31 was highest in Metro Manila at 67 percent, followed by the rest of Luzon at 63 percent, Mindanao at 62 percent and the Visayas at 55 percent.

Opposition is highest among respondents from class E (67 percent), followed by those from class D (61 percent) and ABC (55 percent).

The same survey showed that 66 percent of Filipinos believe the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) can suppress the Maute and Abu Sayyaf terrorists groups even without martial law.

This is higher by 12 points from the 54 percent obtained in a similar survey conducted in September.

Also, it revealed that the number of those who said martial law is necessary for the AFP to suppress the terrorist groups decreased from 25 percent in September to 18 percent in December. Those who were undecided also decreased from 22 percent to 16 percent.

The survey, which had 1,200 respondents, also showed similar sentiments across all geographic areas and socio-economic classes. It had a margin of error of +/- three percent for the national percentages.

War against poverty

Meanwhile, Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) president and Davao Archbishop Romulo Valles said majority of the communities in Mindanao favor the one-year extension, although they would continue to listen to the people’s concerns on the issue throughout 2018.

He added that many people believe that violent extremists still persist even if the military succeeded in ending the siege in Marawi.

“We know that violent extremists continue to perpetrate crimes of violence against fundamental human rights to life, property and religious freedom. They continue to recruit members from disillusioned youth in various parts of Mindanao,” Valles said.

To discourage people from joining these extremist groups, the Catholic bishops asked the government and local communities to help put an end to poverty, which it identified as among the primary reasons why people go to war against the government.

In a statement titled “Waging Peace, Winning Minds and Hearts” released yesterday, the bishops tackled the extension of martial rule in the context of the current situation in Mindanao.

“We ask our public officials as well as our own local communities to undertake the more arduous task of waging peace. This means addressing the root causes of unrest. Poverty is the mother of war,” said Valles.

Aside from poverty, the group cited landlessness, inadequate implementation of agrarian reform, continued environmental destruction through irresponsible mining and logging operations, labor contractualization, marginalization of indigenous peoples and their displacement from ancestral domains, and corruption in government offices as issues that the government needs to address.

But achieving peace is not just the concern of the government, as he also called on religious leaders to do their part.

“We urge religious leaders of all denominations to form the consciences of their respective constituents regarding the blasphemous evil of using God’s name and one’s religious beliefs to kill innocent people and despise other religious beliefs. We recommend effective dialogue with rebels towards peace,” the Davao prelate said.

The bishops also paid tribute to the gallantry of the military, especially those who sacrificed their lives to defend the peace in Mindanao and retake Marawi from the clutches of terrorists.

They also appealed to the Duterte administration “to push without undue delay the full implementation of the Comprehensive Agreement on the Bangsamoro signed in Malacañang in March 2014.”

They also challenge the government’s peacekeeping personnel to make it part of their primary duty to put an end to summary executions and to uphold the human rights of all Filipinos.

Valle cited the instances where local church communities teamed up with government agencies and civil society organizations to provide rehabilitation to drug dependents.