UPDATE: Congress extends martial law in Mindanao for one more year
Credit to Author: MARY GLEEFER F. JALEA| Date: Wed, 12 Dec 2018 05:20:26 +0000
CONGRESS on Monday voted to extend martial law in Mindanao for another year.
In a joint session of the Senate and House of Representatives, 235 voted in the affirmative, 28 against and one abstained for the continued enforcement of Proclamation 216, which also suspended the writ of habeas corpus on account of “lawless violence” in the southernmost region of the Philippines.
In a breakdown of the votes, it was 12-5-1 in the Senate and 233-23 at the House.
Those who voted “yes” were Senate President Vicente Sotto, Senate Majority Leader Juan Miguel Zubiri, as well as Senators Gregorio Honasan 2nd, Panfilo Lacson, Richard Gordon, Cynthia Villar, Grace Poe, Aquilino Pimentel 4th, Joseph Victor Ejercito, Juan Edgardo Angara, Sherwin Gatchalian, and Emmanuel Pacquiao.
Those who voted “no” were Senate Minority Leader Franklin Drilon, as well as Senators Paolo Benigno Aquino 4th, Risa Hontiveros, Francis Pangilinan, and Francis Escudero.
Senate President Pro Tempore Ralph Recto abstained.
Five senators were not able to vote. Senators Nancy Binay and Joel Villanueva, although present during the deliberations, left the joint session before voting was held. Sen. Loren Legarda was “indisposed,” Sotto said.
Sen. Antonio Trillanes 4th is abroad while Sen. Leila de Lima is detained at the Philippine National Police Custodial Center on drug charges.
Drilon said there was “no factual basis” to extend martial law in Mindanao to quell the alleged continuing rebellion in the region.
Drilon stressed this during the joint session of Congress to tackle the request of President Rodrigo Duterte to further extend martial law for another year — from January 1, 2019 up to December 31, 2019.
“We must remember that martial law is the highest form of preservation. It cannot be the norm. These are very disturbing thoughts,” he said.
“We cannot make martial law as an instrument as to make governance effective. That is not the intention of our framers of (the 1987 Constitution),” Drilon said.
Drilon added, “We believe there is no factual basis, as defined by Supreme Court, when the Supreme Court clearly outlined what the justification of martial law should be: there must be an public uprising, taking arms against the government. None exists to justify the extension of martial law.”
House lawmakers who voted for the extension included Speaker Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, House Majority Leader Rolando Andaya, Jr. and Minority Leader Danilo Suarez.
Among those who voted against the proclamation were Albay Rep. Edcel Lagman, Magdalo Rep. Gary Alejano, ACT-Teachers Partylist Reps. Antonio Tinio and France Castro, Gabriela Reps. Arlene Brosas and Emmi de Jesus, Anakpawis Ariel Casilao, and Bayan Muna Rep. Carlos Zarate.
During deliberations earlier in the day, Executive Secretary Salvador Medialdea told lawmakers that based on the evaluation of “President Rodrigo Duterte, as commander-in-chief, of the Armed Forces of the Philippines upon extensive personal evaluation of the current situation in Mindanao and taking into account the security assessments of the secretary of National Defense as martial law administrator, the chief of staff of the Armed Forces of the Philippines as martial law implementor, the national security adviser, the NICA [National Intelligence Coordinating Agency], and chief of the Philippine National Police,” they have concluded that rebellion in Mindanao “still subsists.”
“Notwthstanding substantial gains achieved during the martial law period as extended, the government can’t turn a blind eye to the reality that Mindanao is in the midst of rebellion,” Medialdea said.
He added in part that “based on certain essential facts, actual rebellion still clearly persists in Mindanao and public safety necessitates the grant of a further extension of martial law period and the suspension of the privilege of the writ of habeas corpus.”
The President declared martial law in the region after the Islamic State-linked Maute group attacked Marawi City on May 23, 2017 in a bid to establish a caliphate to be ruled by an “emir.” BERNADETTE TAMAYO, REINA TOLENTINO
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