Several groups staged a protest march here Monday over President Rodrigo Duterte's declaration of martial law last week in the country's south to quell violence by militants linked to Islamic State.
About 200 people marched from the Manila Film Center to the Senate compound in Pasay city in Metro Manila, carrying hand-made placards and signages, to voice their discontent.
The Akbayan Partylist, a socialist-democratic organization which joined the protest, said martial law is a "disproportionate" and "extreme" response from the government to the IS-inspired Maute militant group, which occupied several areas in the predominantly Muslim city of Marawi in Mindanao.
"Instead of ending terrorism and promoting peace, such an extreme response to the Maute group threatens to further escalate violence in the region," the group said in a statement.
Representatives from labor groups which joined the rally expressed concerns about possible human right abuses by the police and the military, as well as the possibility of the president expanding the coverage of martial law to a nationwide scale.
"Our experience back then in the previous martial law during the time of President (Ferdinand) Marcos, there were many women who were victims of abuse," Ver Estorosas, regional spokesman of the opposition Labor Party, said in a separate interview.
"This martial law will not bring any good to the Filipino people," he added.
"It is frightening and riveting that the next chapter could snowball to the whole archipelago," Jun Santos, campaign coordinator of the Center of United and Progressive Workers, said in a speech at the rally.
"There were frighteningly many human rights violations then, frighteningly many arrests and torture of people especially on activists," Santos added.
Leaders from youth organizations also criticized the Duterte administration's reputation on human rights, as well as its capacity to hold its officials to account when it comes to abuse of authority.
"This martial law will invite abuse of power. There is really no confidence in this administration's capacity to prosecute erring officers," J.C. Tejano, chairman of Akbayan Partylist's youth arm, told Kyodo News.
"In the last months, we have seen abuses of human rights by this Duterte administration, the withholding of the truth and their disrespect for due process," Karla Yu of the Millennials Against Dictatorship, said for her part.
Duterte declared a 60-day period of martial law in the Mindanao group of islands on Tuesday last week while on an overseas trip after deadly clashes between government troops and Islamist militants.
The death toll since Tuesday has neared 100, including 61 militants, 19 civilians, 15 military, and three police.
Almost 60,000 people have also been displaced in Marawi city and in the neighboring areas due to the intense fighting between government forces and the Maute group.
