Transcript of Grace Poe's Interpellation
Joint Session

Sen. Grace Poe: Magandang hapon po, Mr. President, Mr. Speaker. Mga ilang katanungan lamang po. Unang-una, tawagin natin ang National Security Adviser. Doon po sa ating talakayan, nabanggit po ninyo noon at alam naman po natin na doon sa 200 barangay sa Marawi, doon sa halos 200 na naokupa ng Maute group, ngayon, kayo na rin po ang nagsabi na apat na lang ang natitira tama po ba?

Hermogenes Esperon: 96 po ang barangay sa Marawi at sa simula ay may mga element ng Maute at ISIS sa iba't ibang lugar, ngayon ay nasa apat o tatlong barangay na lamang po tayo.

Poe: Binabati natin siyempre ang ating mga sundalo sa kanilang naging trabaho, na sa loob ng 60 araw ay nasugpo nila ang banta na iyan sa napakaraming barangay at apat na lang ang natitira ngayon, kaya siguro lohikal na tanong dito ay kung sa 60 araw ay nagawa ninyo iyan at nasugpo ninyo sa napakaraming barangay at apat na lang ang natitira, pakilinaw lamang po sa amin ulit kung bakit ninyo kailangan ng mas mahabang panahon pa ngayon na aabot hanggang Disyembre.

Esperon: Ang isa po dito ay ang ating hinaharap, yung reconstruction and rehabilitation ng Marawi and surrounding areas would still need the stability that we want so that we could pursue the projects kasi po ang Maute or ISIS or affiliated organizations ay hindi lamang po sa tatlong barangay o sa 70 na naiiwan. Pwedeng may manggaling sa iba pa ulit at yung suporta naman nila, kasi yung ISIS ay hindi lang naman ang armado ang tinitingnan natin diyan, mayroong iba pang supporting organizations yan, na yung iba hindi natin akala kasama sa ISIS kaya't pagkatapos ng tatlong barangay pa na ito ay titingnan din natin yung malawakan or the overall aspect of where the possible enemy forces will come from.

Poe: Opo pero alam niyo po, malinaw sa ating Konstitusyon na ang banta ay hindi sapat para ipatupad ang martial law. Lalung-lalo na hindi rin justification ang pagkakaroon ng rebuilding efforts. Kung nakikita po ninyo na meron talagang tuloy-tuloy na rebelyon pa rin doon, maaari nating sabihin na kailangan pa rin. Pero ang banta, papaano ninyo masasabi na talagang kailangan ng martial law at hindi calling out (powers) lamang ng ating pangulo?

Esperon: Tama po yun kung talagang banta lamang po. Sa totoo lang, sa buong Mindanao ay mayroong mahigit 1,200 na miyembro ng Abu Sayyaf, Maute, Isis etc. Hindi po banta yan kundi actual na po nandyan at anumang oras, kung papabayaan natin ay maaaring pumunta sa, hindi lang Marawi, maaaring puntahan ang karatig siyudad tulad ng Iligan o Cagayan De Oro, huwag naman sana. Kaya't ito ang mga binabantayan natin. We will not be focusing on Marawi alone, kailangan tingnan na natin yung iba pang mga lugar sa Mindanao, actual po yan.

Poe: So ang ibig sabihin nito ay wala po sa bilang ng barangay sapagkat itong mga, kung tatawagin natin silang terorista, ay nakakalat sa ibang lugar pa at marami pa silang natitirang nakakalat sa iba't ibang parte, hindi lamang Marawi kundi Mindanao, ganoon po ba ang inyong pinatutunguhan?

Esperon: Totoo nga po, sa Jolo, halimbawa, kung mayroon silang 460 doon, ngayon baka yung iba doon sa mga darating na araw ay mayroong balak pumunta na sa Marawi o sa ibang parte ng Mindanao. Yun nga po, kaya ang ating mga pwersa ay hindi lang kailangan mag-concentrate lamang sa Marawi, titingnan din natin ang ibang lugar. Halimbawa doon sa Reanga noong isang araw ay mayroong kinukunan ng pera doon at sinunugan ng limang bus at nung hindi makapagbigay ng pera ay pinagtatabas yung sagingan. Hindi ko po sinasabing Maute o ISIS iyan, ang gumawa nun ay NPA, so yung tropa natin ay hindi mo rin pwedeng kunin lahat sa Marawi na ilagay mo lang sa isang lugar lang. Kailangan tingnan ang lahat ng lugar.

Poe: Pero sa tingin ninyo klaro na pagdating ng Disyembre ay mas magiging maayos ang sitwasyon at doon sa mga ibang nakakawala pa na dapat ninyong mahuli ay mayroon kayong pagkakataon na magawa iyan sa loob ng ilang buwan?

Esperon: Marami po kaming magagawa sa loob ng limang buwan ngunit ang sinasabi naming ang Marawi marahil ay madali na lang natin masugpo yan, pero yung mga karatig-pook ay hindi natin masisisguro.

Poe: Kasi gusto naming suportahan kung ano man ang rekomendasyon ng military sapagkat kayo naman ang nandiyan on the ground, subalit, siguro, are you amenable na magkaroon ng congressional monitoring mechanism? Sapagkat kami nga dito yung nagbibigay ng patotoo para maipagpatuloy itong martial law pero siguro, well...supposedly doon sa report na walang human rights violations na officially talaga, pero nais nating mamintina ito so kung mayroong congressional oversight or mechanism na patuloy tayong magbibigay ng regular brief, assessment pagdating sa human rights, assessment pagdating sa sitwasyon ng mga evacuees.

Esperon: We will gladly do that Madam Senator, Mr. President.

Poe: Well that's reassuring Mr. President, Mr. Speaker. Nais ko lang din po, for the record. Maraming salamat po, Sec. Esperon. Kung maipatawag din po natin, sapagkat ang kasama rin po natin dito, mahalaga ay yung mga mismong miyembro ng mga evacuees, yung mga nasa evacuation centers, yung mga internally displaced persons. Ang dinig ko Mr. President mayroon din tayong mga resource persons na maaaring magbigay sa atin ng update kung ano ba talaga ang sitwasyon nila sapagkat ang mahalaga, nais na rin nilang bumalik sa kanilang mga tahanan so mayroon po ba tayong resource person na maipapatawag?

Ang dinig ko ay nandito ang isang kasama doon sa grupo ng Rescue Marawi. Si Samira Gutoc kung maaari po siyang ipatawag Mr. President.

Perhaps Mr. President we can ask the Commission on Human Rights for a statement when it comes to the assumption or the claim that there has been no human rights violations, to confirm the record that there are no human rights violations. And I think, Mr. President, this will help the case of the President, to say that the martial law under his administration is more responsible and responsive to the Constituion.

Very briefly, Ms. Gutoc. Maikli lamang po sapagkat marami sa ating mga kababayan sa evacuation center ay mayroon ding pananaw.

SP Pimentel: Ms. Samira Gutoc is recognized to give her report to this plenary session

Samira Gutoc (head of Ranao Rescue Team): Thank you, Mr. President. I am Samira Gutoc, I am from Bangon beside the confrontation area on May 23. I was a member of the civil society multisectoral advisory board. Sir, on the 2nd week of the crisis, Abdul Halim, a special child or a mental retard, 20 years old, was brought to the Ranao Rescue Team by the mother, the child was brought to the hospital, he was found in Saduc area of Marawi, he was psychologically interrogated if Maute siya. He was also, may isang baril po na inano sa kamay niya. We have photos Madam Senator, Mr. President on this. Second case, Mr. Tundag, among 26 men, he upon being rescued by men in uniform in a location after the bridge in the rescue area, they were asked to remove their t-shirt, blindfold themselves and walk, and may narinig sila na mga baril. And isang sinabi po na boses ng isang authority 'maghukay na kayo ng inyong libingan.' I am from Marawi City, please ask us what do we feel? Please ask us how do we stand up and rise. 20 bodies are in funeral, 100 days or almost 60 days, not buried. What if it was your grandfather na hindi po nilibing? Sa Islam, one day lang po, hindi pwede, bawal sa Islam, the highest form of prohibition and taboo. Sorry, Senate President, hindi po pwedeng iwanan na hindi po buried ang katawan. Because it's the war, of course, it's national security. Every five days, our rescue volunteers bury a baby. Nanigas daw ang baby sa isang hospital, ilang beses po in-injectionan, hindi alam ng mother why she was injected several times and lumabas ang baby po, naninigas na daw. She was sharing a bed with three women in the charity ward, yes libre po ang hospital, but we are in charity wards. May isa pong naghubad sa evacuation center, in Islam bawal pong maghubad, kaya po kami nakaganito (hijab). Naka-cover ang face ng ilan, bawal po makita ang katawan namin, ang suso namin, ang aming panty. Umalis kami sa mga bahay namin na walang panty na dala. I am so sorry, I have to speak for 250,000 people and 400,000 Maranaos scattered all over the country. Two pregnant women in Pagadian were asked to be taken in by the PNP in the city government of Pagadian because they were holding in their baggage a dextrose. Bawal na po ba ang dextrose sa isang buntis na babae because ang faith healer niya sinabing mag-dextrose siya dapat, baka manganak ka. They were taken in for a whole day of questioning, Mr. President, Madame Senator.

Poe: Ms. Samira, thank you very much for sharing your insights. This is well taken because the ravages of war are such that we need all the different departments to work together to avoid these types of situations. Of course we don't want war to continue but we need to contain the immediate threat that we are faced with. And so I would like to appeal also that the DSWD work together, they do now, but even intensify their efforts to respect religious and cultural boundaries in those areas. I am very sympathetic especially to women and children, and this is just to remind each and every one of us that there are victims other than the ones (killed) by terrorist groups, but actually (also include) the residents of the area. This is the last Mr. President, just for the CHR, also to commend our soldiers, perhaps there's no particular formal complaint. And if it's true that there are no rights abuses I would like to hear it directly from him, Mr. President if you will allow.

CHR Chair Chito Gascon: Mr. Senate President, Mr Speaker, Honorable members of the House and Senate. Thank you for the opportunity to respond to your questions. We have prepared a statement as well as an executive summary. In deference to the instruction given, I will directly answer the question of the Honorable Senator Poe. The Commission on Human Rights is still in the middle of receiving reports and conducting its own investigations so the statements that were made a few weeks ago regarding the fact that at that time we have not yet, as CHR, received any reports, but that is different from a categorical statement that no human rights violations are occurring because martial law is still proceeding and they are not in fact requesting for an extension and with that, under consideration, we feel that it is important as has been suggested here that regular human rights reports from the human rights office of the Armed Forces of the Philippines that can be validated by the Commission on Human Rights should be undertaken.

Poe: But aren't you proactive enough also to receive direct complaints from different constituents from Marawi. You have those right?

Gascon: Yes

Poe: So in the meantime, as we are discussing this, you are receiving other reports but officially you don't have a report yet?

Gascon: We do not have a categorical statement to say that there are no human rights violations because your honor, many of the people had left their homes and they had to attend first to taking care of their family's needs as they were displaced, but we have been receiving more and more complaints, your honor.

Poe: A few weeks ago when that statement was released you did not have any reports at all?

Gascon: At that time, this was 3 or 4 weeks ago, the regional offices of the CHR had not yet received any formal complaint but we were already receiving some reports from NGOs and we were validating the same. In the meantime, we are also coordinating now very closely with our counterpart in ARMM because we do not have a field office in ARMM called the Regional Human Rights Commission and they have also been documenting. But everyone has been expressing that it's difficult to go into the conflict area, but we have been receiving some reports that we are now validating from the victims in the evacuation areas as well as in other parts of Mindanao.

Poe: Thank you, Mr. Chair for your clarification. Mr. President, I appreciate the time that you have given us. We really need to balance the importance of stabilizing the security situation in Marawi but also as a woman and as a mother, I think that we also have to be sensitive to the situation of our evacuees and I would like to also thank our troops for their continued efforts to help the situation in Marawi, Mr. President.