AFTER the bombing incident in Isulan, Sultan Kudarat that killed two people, Malacañang announced on Wednesday that it is looking at the possibility of extending martial law in Mindanao again.
When it was first implemented after the outbreak of the Marawi Siege in 2017, martial law has affected many aspects of Mindanao, from its economy to its social landscape.
One of the sectors that was really affected was tourism. Hotels were reporting losses amounting to millions of pesos. Reports of cancellations and postponements of conferences and summits were also noted. Some investors were also hesitant to enter the island after it was placed under martial law.
The private and public sector worked their butts off just to lift Mindanao's image and they did succeed in some aspects. For example, the tourism sector was able to somehow recover by the end of 2017.
While there were some negative sentiments towards the implementation for the whole island, there were also those who supported saying that the security in the island as a whole would be better.
However, as the possibility of extending martial law in Mindanao looms, will this really improve the safety and security situation in the island?
With the incident in Isulan, it is clear that terrorists and lawless groups are becoming bolder than ever. The government might need to look into its strategy again and not be totally dependent on martial law to improve the safety in the island.
Many questions will arise once the extension of martial law pushes through. Is it still safe to come to Mindanao? Should I pour my investments here? Is an extended martial law really necessary?
Let's keep our fingers crossed that the initial impacts of an extended martial law will not be as bad as when it was first implemented on the island in 2017.
We just hope that the extension of martial law will truly help Mindanao for good as a whole and not bring it back to its dark days.