Kristian Ablan said the proclamation “technically took effect today and remains in force until lifted by the President”.
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Former president and now Pampanga representative Gloria Arroyo on Monday threw her support behind President Rodrigo Duterte’s declaration of “state of lawlessness” in the wake of the Davao City blast last Friday.
Duterte had initially declared a “state of lawlessness” after the September 2 attack – which has been claimed by Abu Sayyaf extremists – but he said the declaration did not amount to martial law.
Among those present during the emergency meeting were Executive Secretary Salvador Medialdea, Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana, National Security Adviser Hermogenes Esperon Jr., Foreign Affairs Secretary Perfecto Yasay Jr., Agriculture Secretary Emmanuel Piñol, Interior and Local Government Secretary Ismael Sueno, Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) Chief of Staff Lt.
Police said the still unidentified perpetrators used a cellular phone-activated improvised mortar to carry out the attack.
In 2003, Arroyo placed Davao City under a “state of lawlessness” after successive attacks on the worldwide airport and Sasa wharf left over two dozen people killed.
“The valiant efforts of our police and armed forces to quell this armed lawlessness have been met with resistance, resulting in several casualties on the part of government forces, the most recent of which was the death of 15 soldiers in a skirmish with the Abu Sayyaf Group in Patikul, Sulu on 30 August 2016”, Duterte said.
“I don’t know when but for the moment, according to law experts, the President’s public declaration would suffice”, he said. It does not amount to martial law or the suspension of any political or civil rights. “I have this duty to protect the country”.
De la Rosa, playing down such concerns, said, “Rest assured that we will implement this without violating human rights”.
Vietnam News Agency (VNA) reports that Mayor of Davao city Sara Duterte told reporters that the suspect was in the night market along Roxas Avenue, and was later taken up for questioning.
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Duterte signed off on the decree just before boarding a plane to Laos, where he is attending a regional summit.
