Marcos lifts national emergency; cites improved peace and order in Mindanao
President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. has lifted the state of national emergency on account of lawless violence in Mindanao, citing significant improvement in the peace and order situation on the island.
*Malacañang file photos*
The President made the move through Proclamation No. 298, signed by Executive Secretary Lucas Bersamin on July 25. Based on the Proclamation, Marcos lifted the state of national emergency after the conditions that prompted the original proclamation had been significantly mitigated or reduced. He added that the lifting of the state of national emergency would help in the economic activity on the island. “Through successful focused military and law enforcement operations and programs that promote sustainable and inclusive peace, the government has made significant gains in improving and restoring peace and order in the region,” the Proclamation read. “The lifting of Proclamation No. 55 (s. 2016) will boost economic activity and hasten the recovery of the local economy,” it added.
*Malacañang file photos*
The President made the move through Proclamation No. 298, signed by Executive Secretary Lucas Bersamin on July 25. Based on the Proclamation, Marcos lifted the state of national emergency after the conditions that prompted the original proclamation had been significantly mitigated or reduced. He added that the lifting of the state of national emergency would help in the economic activity on the island. “Through successful focused military and law enforcement operations and programs that promote sustainable and inclusive peace, the government has made significant gains in improving and restoring peace and order in the region,” the Proclamation read. “The lifting of Proclamation No. 55 (s. 2016) will boost economic activity and hasten the recovery of the local economy,” it added.
Former president Rodrigo Duterte issued Proclamation No. 55 on Sept. 4, 2016, given the lawless violence perpetrated by private armies and local warlords, bandits, criminal syndicates, terrorist groups, and religious extremists across the island groups. Duterte's Proclamation came after the bombing in Davao City on Sept. 2, 2016, that killed 14 people and seriously wounded at least 60 others. The said Proclamation commanded the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) and the Philippine National Police (PNP) to undertake measures to suppress lawless violence in Mindanao and prevent the same from spreading and escalating elsewhere in the Philippines. In his Proclamation No. 216, which placed the entire island of Mindanao under martial law, Duterte claimed that the Maute Terrorist Group had been committing violent acts since 2016, resulting in his decision to issue Proclamation No. 55.JUST IN: President Marcos lifts the state of national emergency on account of lawless violence in Mindanao, citing successful focused military and law enforcement operations and programs that promote sustainable peace in the island. @manilabulletin pic.twitter.com/bDmZ46bAye
— Argyll Cyrus Geducos (@argyll_mb) July 27, 2023