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Friday, September 21, 2007
Did martial law have a bright side?
By Mia E. Abellana and Jovy S. Taghoy
CEBU CITY -- If most people think of Martial Law as a period of darkness, many police officers saw it as a time when crime rate was at its lowest.
At least five policemen who were active during the Martial Law years do not recall participating in any of the “horror stories” about human rights violations.
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It was 35 years ago today that former President Ferdinand Marcos put the country under Martial law.
For Police Regional Office (PRO) 7 Director Silverio Alarcio Jr., insurgency would be worse today if Martial Law had not been declared.
“But we cannot have that situation forever. The democratic process is a more permanent solution to our problems now,” he said.
Alarcio, who graduated from the Philippine Military Academy (PMA) in 1976, was a lieutenant when he was sent on his first mission.
His first assignments sent him to combat to fight communist insurgents.
“As far as addressing insurgency, it worked. The problem there was the abuses that came later on,” he said, although he has not experienced being ordered to do something that was against his principles.
Road
He remembers being ordered to open a private road that the owner had barricaded. He admitted he was not sure about the legalities of implementing that order at the time, but said opening the road made it easier to residents to pass.
Cebu Provincial Police Office (CPPO) Director Carmelo Valmoria said that he just followed the Constitution.
“Our actions were based on laws,” he said.
He admitted he arrested several high-ranking members of the New People’s Army but said these arrests were all “in accordance with the law.”
A month after graduating from the PMA in 1982, Valmoria was a second lieutenant sent to Eastern Samar for counter-insurgency operations.
“I do not remember being given an order to arrest someone for no reason. My superiors never made me implement illegal orders,” he said.
While he believes the late president Ferdinand Marcos was a one of the country’s brilliant leaders, he said the problem came with the implementation of his vision.
Superintendent Daniel Sales, chief of the Provincial Internal Affairs Service, agreed with Valmoria, saying he followed the chain of command diligently and followed all lawful orders.
“Initially, Marcos’ New Society was a good idea. But late on, it was his cronies who commanded him),” Sales said.
For Acting Cebu City Police Office (CCPO) Director Patrocinio Comendador and Inspector Zaldy Gokotano, the late president Marcos made a right decision in declaring a Martial Law to solve the insurgency problem during that time.
Comendador, who entered the service in 1983 through the Philippine National Police Academy (PNPA), said there was a “breakdown of society” in the early 1970s and that declaring Martial Law was proper.
‘Right thing’
“Marcos did the right thing during that time. He was a charismatic leader,” he said.
That time, Comendador said, police could conduct raids without a search warrant.
Comendador, however, admitted that the Marcos dictatorship was only effective in the first few years as in the latter years, abuses became rampant.
“The leadership and integrity were questioned. Tendency is you will expand your power that will lead to your downfall,” he said.
Gokotano, who joined the Philippine Constabulary on December 19, 1981 and served as a sergeant, recalled that he just followed order from his superiors.
Like Comendador, Gokotano, who is now the CCPO’s Police Community Relations chief, said search warrants or warrants of arrest were not necessarily followed.
He said as long as one is included in the order of battle of the police, an arrest and seizure order was issued.
“Marcos’ people benefited because if they did not like you, they just came up with charges against you, have you arrested and your properties seized,” he said.
Disciplined
Gokotano also noted that the people were disciplined because of the strict curfew put in place, recalling the former president’s dictum during that time, “Sa ikauunlad ng bayan, disiplina ang kailangan.”
He, however, admitted that Martial Law was eventually abused, not necessarily by Marcos but his cronies.
Senior Inspector Edwin Ermac, for his part, said it was easier to implement the law at the time, especially when a curfew was imposed.
“Kung kinsa na ang gasuroy-suroy nga lapas sa curfew, mao na’y kawatan. Kay ang nagtinarong, muuli man sa oras,” he said.
Provincial Executive Senior Police Officer Pablo Enolpe Jr. also noted the low crime incidents, saying there were no civilians who carried firearms.
As far as raids were concerned, they were allowed to immediately conduct one if they could present an arrest, search and seizure order from their regional commander.
Unlike today, applying for a search warrant is tedious as operatives have to prove to the judge that the subject is involved in illegal activities before it is issued.
Ermac entered the Integrated National Police in 1976 and said that even before he entered the service, he did not feel any fear for his life when martial law was declared.
As for mysterious disappearances of critics of the Marcos administration, Ermac believes some of these were perpetrated by the communist rebels. (Sun.Star Cebu)
For more Philippine news, visit Sun.Star Davao. (September 21, 2007 issue)
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