The Armed Forces of the Philippines on Friday appealed to the public to cooperate in bringing back normalcy despite the declaration of Martial law.
AFP spokesperson Brig. Restituto Padilla said the public should prioritize their safety by cooperating fully with authorities.
He said that to be able to bring back the operations in the island of Mindanao to normal, the public are expected to be more vigilant.
“Every citizen is supposed to do his or her patriotic duties by reporting the presence of terrorists and unidentified personalities, including illegal activity related to violence or terrorism,” he said.
Padilla reminded the public as well that they have to guard their human rights against abusive policemen and/or military soldiers. He added that the AFP would not consider nor tolerate any abusive act committed by their personnel.
“Hence, the public is encouraged to report any form of abuse to the authority by means of dialing the action phones/lines of their respective city or they could report directly to the police,” he said. “It is important that everyone knows where to address the concerns of abuse in their respective cities.”
The appeal of Padilla was to ensure that the implementation of martial law in the island of Mindanao will not dispel doubts or fears as what happened in 1972.
“Kung meron kayong nakikita na nagiging violation ng sarili nating sundalo o pulis or other men in uniform, pwede nyo pong ireport yan at ang ating armed forces ay gagawa ng isang swift probe of investigation para magkaroon tayo ng accountability” said Padilla.
The appeal was not limited to posting unnecessary news or information to social media.
Though he said that “hindi po tayo nag rekomenda ng suspension ng freedom of expression” which was written on the Constitution, but, he added that “habang maaga pa lang,i-exercise niyo po ang inyong common sense, na pag alam niyo po na ito ay nakakasama sa karamihan at hindi naman ho nakakatulong, wag nyo na ho i-post [sa social media] baka minsan na lang katokin na lang po kayo ng pulis at arestohin kayo”.
