“In sum, establishing a military camp thereat will offend their identity and desecrate the heritage value of the place.

It looks like a fait accompli. Maranaws will have to pray for a miracle to forestall it. Government will ram home to them the militarization of the Islamic City of Marawi which will disfigure its religious façade and convert it into a garrison-like place. This is a classic case of the government deciding what is good for the people instead of the other way around which is the more democratic way.

Governments are theoretically organized to protect and promote the interest of the governed. This was the core teaching of Frenchman political philosopher Jean-Jacques Rousseau in his book, The Social Contract, theorizing that in order for government to retain its moral character, it “must rest on the consent of the governed.” This is the theoretical foundation of many constitutions including our own. American libertarian John Locke must be turning over in his grave for the wanton disregard of his democratic theory which limits government’s intervention on the affairs of the people.

Readers, I refer to the establishment of another military camp on the southwest side of Marawi City, which was earlier decried and passionately objected to by concerned Maranaw civil society groups. The wounds inflicted by the Marawi war have not yet healed, they claim, and now they are confronted with another problem that violates their sensibilia. They realized that the inordinate delay in the reconstruction and rehabilitation of Marawi was because government appears more focused on secondary collateral matters.

Like a thief in the night, the government has been working clandestinely on the project. The preliminary moves, like the identification and expropriation of land, have been accomplished. The Office of the Solicitor General, which claims to be the tribune of the people, took the lead in the legal maneuvers. This caught the local lawyers flat-footed. The IBP-Lanao Sur Chapter through its President Mino Macalandap was just too eager to file for opposition, but for lack of notice of the proceedings, it defaulted. Their chat room in social media is abuzz with suggestions and opinions. Now their last resort is the trite, desperate, judicial way of filing a motion for reconsideration, if the reglementary period has not expired.

City Mayor Majul Gandamra, in a gesture of concern for his constituents, sent a letter to the President conveying the sentiment of the landowners who claimed to be affected by the construction. He wrote that the landowners considered the lands as “part of their identity as a native people of Marawi.” The land likewise is the original location of the old Marawi City Hall, “considered by historians as a tangible cultural heritage.” In sum, establishing a military camp thereat will offend their identity and desecrate the heritage value of the place. Significantly, this was the first reaction about the issue by any local government unit which merited kudos from social media activists.

The Saksi Radio Islamic Forum, an activist group of Maranaw professionals using the single-side band radio system as their market of ideas, have allegedly collected thousands of signatures opposing the move. And more civil society groups are mobilizing members to bring forth the issue for public attention and discussion.

Datu Driza Lininding, Chair of the Moro Consensus Group, invoked Rule 23 of the Customary International Humanitarian Law, which provides that parties to the conflict must “avoid locating military objectives within or near densely populated areas.” He further posited that “it will put residents of Marawi in grieve danger… (and) endanger nearby communities.”

True, Barangays Kapantaran and Caloocan East where the military camp is to be constructed is the weakest side in the security of the city. This was the entry and exit point of the Maute-Abu Sayaff Islamic States mujahideen.

But it is a stone’s throw away from the commercial center of the city (the northern side of the city is well protected by the military Campo Ranao, while the northwest side by the Police provincial headquarters).

Establishing military entrenchment surrounding Marawi is strategically reasonable. But at what expense? It will mar the religious ambience and façade of the city as the regional center of Islam.

Residents just have to swallow the bitter pill of obeisance. But perhaps, government can appease them and assuage their pain by relocating the proposed military camp far from the city hub.