Originally posted by the Voice of America.
Voice of America content is produced by the Voice of America,
a United States federal government-sponsored entity, and is in
the public domain.


How COVID-19 Lockdown is Protecting Philippine Muslim Enclave Against Rebel
Violence

Ralph Jennings

   TAIPEI, TAIWAN - A Philippine city hollowed out by civil war is under a
   COVID-19 lockdown through the end of this month, a move that has
   inadvertently added security in a region where new rebel violence can
   flare up anytime, observers say.
   Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte placed Marawi City and surrounding
   Lanao del Sur province, of which it is the capital, under "modified
   enhanced community quarantine" Sept. 28 through the end of October,
   according to the presidential office website.
   The province reported a jump in coronavirus cases in mid-September,
   from a near-zero trickle to 441, including the governor, domestic media
   reported. Just one local hospital is equipped to handle a raft of
   cases.
   The Armed Forces of the Philippines and Philippine National Police are
   expected to pair quarantine enforcement with surveillance for any rebel
   movement, the Philippine Center for Investigative Journalism predicts.
   Road checkpoints surrounding Marawi remain in place despite the end of
   martial law in December, and a congressman says both enforcement
   agencies will add personnel this year.
   Military and police must maintain their forces to keep the peace they
   established since martial law took hold in mid-2017, Rep. Manuel Jose
   Dalipe II told Philippine media.
   "It just gives [authorities] more of a reason to be more vigilant,"
   said Herman Kraft, political science professor at University of the
   Philippines Diliman, referring to quarantine enforcement.
   "The military presence and the militarization in the area is now even
   more legitimized, if you will, by justifying in terms of COVID-19," he
   said.
   Lanao del Sur is on the island of Mindanao, a hotspot for clashes
   between soldiers and about 20 Muslim rebel groups that want more
   autonomy in the majority-Christian country. An estimated 120,000 people
   have died in fighting in and around Mindanao since the 1960s.
   A four-year-old state of emergency over all of Mindanao allows military
   and police to set up curfews and checkpoints as needed.

.