PRESIDENT Rodrigo Duterte said Wednesday that he might be compelled to suspend the writ of habeas corpus in the Visayas as a "precautionary" step to prevent terrorist groups from targeting the central Philippines.
Duterte said he feared that Visayas could serve as terrorists' entryway since it is just "a very short expanse of the sea," where any Filipinos cannot be controlled "from going anywhere and everywhere."
"If there is maybe a transfer of venue from Mindanao to the Visayas and to make it easy for the Philippines to challenge the new engagement, I will be forced to declare the suspension of writ of habeas corpus, not Martial law," Duterte said at the 119th Philippine Navy anniversary celebration in Davao City.
"Only the suspension of habeas corpus so I can arrest you anytime without a warrant. That is just a precautionary measure," he added.
Duterte has declared a martial law in Mindanao last week after clashes erupted between government forces and the Maute terror group in Marawi City.
Duterte's latest pronouncement was contrary to his earlier remark that he might expand the proclamation of martial rule to Visayas and Luzon.
The Constitution provides that the government can arrest any individual without charges or trial, if the writ of habeas corpus has been suspended.
The President said that the suspension of writ of habeas corpus might not materialize but emphasized the need to get ready for such possibility.
"I don't think it will happen. I hope it will not happen. But if it does, we must be ready. There is no middle ground here. We're not talking about an ordinary police operation," he said.
"The problem it they're trying to correct a way of living for everybody and they do it by killing people invoking the name of God and that is a very terrible ideology. It does not know anything except to waste human lives," Duterte added. (SunStar Philippines)