Former President Fidel Ramos told the Congress and cabinet members of the Duterte administration on Friday, to temper their statements that martial law could spread to other parts of the Philippines.

“I wish that you could temper your statement …to reduce this period of violence, conflict and tension so that it will be confined to Mindanao”, he said in a press conference.

He said some members of the administration of President Rodrigo Duterte are providing panicky statements.

“If it’s true that they had said that martial law may be extended to Visaya and nationwide then that is being panicky”, Ramos said.

Ramos said leaders should focus on raising the morale of Filipinos, mobilizing government’s assets to help in rehabilitating the dislocated communities.

He said Duterte’s order of martial law is “probably the correct solution but for a limited part of Mindanao”.

“Martial law all over Mindanao and it’s more than 28 million people may be proper in the eyes of the administration but not enough. There are peaceful areas there that do not need to be subjected to martial law or martial rule”, he said.

Ramos said the martial law in Mindanao is bound to be more harmful to the economy of the country.

“It is harmful now because we have the build, build, build ( infrastructure program). We have the easy loan from Russia and we have a promise of our rich people to support the government and to have a budget of P3.3 trillion. Allof that is in danger of not being done at all if this thing spreadsthroughout the country and for a longer time”, he said.

Ramos said there is a failure of organization in the present government.

He said National Peace and Order Council that can help in maintaining morale of the local community and assist the government in reducing poverty in the community in the provinces should be activated. Alanna Ambi/DMS