黑料社

Bayan Muna Rep. Carlos Zarate questioned the need to declare martial law in the whole of Mindanao, while two other House members hit the Duterte administration for failure of intelligence, which allowed the Maute Group to attack Marawi City.

In an ambush interview with reporters on Wednesday, Zarate questioned the need to declare martial law in the whole Mindanao region when the attack was contained in Marawi.

Zarate added that that the claim of the military that the situation was under control contradicted the need to declare martial law in the entire region.

鈥淚f the situation is under control. why resort to an extreme response?鈥� Zarate said.

READ: Marawi mayor, cops holed up at city hall; tension down but threat not over听触听Martial law declared in Mindanao; Duterte to fly back home from Moscow

He expressed fear that the military generals in Duterte鈥檚 Cabinet influenced Duterte to declare martial rule to address terrorism, at the same time scuttling the administration鈥檚 peace talks with the communist rebels.

Among the retired generals in Duterte鈥檚 Cabinet are Eduardo A帽o in the Department of the Interior and Local Government and Roy Cimatu in the Department of Environment and Natural Resources. Both served as chief of staff of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP).

With 10 former military officials occupying top positions in the Duterte administration, Duterte even joked once that he had completed a junta in his government.

搁贰础顿:听Ex-military men joining Cabinet alarm groups

鈥淭here is a growing influence, militarization of the President鈥檚 Cabinet,鈥� Zarate said. 鈥淲e can鈥檛 discount na mayroong influence (that there is influence). But of course in the final analysis, sana call ng Presidente yan (I hope it鈥檚 the President鈥檚 call).鈥�

He also expressed concern about the President鈥檚 declaration that his martial law would be as 鈥渉arsh鈥� as that declared by the dictator Ferdinand Marcos.

鈥淣ababahala tayo sa ganung statement,鈥� Zarate said. 鈥淢asama ang naging karanasan sa batas militar.鈥�

(鈥淲e are concerned about that statement. The country had a bad experience under martial law.鈥�)

In a news conference Wednesday, Quezon Rep. Danilo Suarez, the minority leader, said there was a failure of intelligence because the Maute Group was able to infiltrate Marawi City at a time the top government officials like Duterte are out in the country in Russia.

鈥淭his is an intelligence failure鈥� Nasan ang intelligence fund natin? Bakit hindi niyo nakita ito? Napakaliit ng grupong Maute. Dapat yung movement nila, track na track na ninyo,鈥� Suarez said.

(鈥淲here鈥檚 the intelligence fund? Why didn鈥檛 they detect this? The Maute group is a small one. They should have tracked their movements),鈥� Suarez said.

Ako Bicol Rep. Alfredo Garbin Jr. also said there was a failure of intelligence, noting that all the deparment heads were in Russia at the time the Maute Group鈥檚 attack in Marawi happened.

鈥淐onsidering all of the heads are in Russia, there is a failure of intelligence, kung hindi nila alam ano mangyayari sa Mindanao (if they didn鈥檛 know what would happen to Mindanao),鈥� Garbin said.

搁贰础顿:听 Militant solons oppose Duterte鈥檚 martial law declaration

Speaker Pantaleon Alvarez, Duterte鈥檚 closest ally in Congress, said there was basis for the chief executive to declare martial law, because he had to quell the rebellion in the Mindanao region.

鈥淎s a Mindanaoan, yes. I fully believe na talagang may basehan yung pagdeklara ng martial law (that there is basis for the declaration of martial law),鈥� Alvarez said in an ambush interview on Wednesday.

搁贰础顿:听Alvarez: Martial law justifiable to quell Marawi conflict

Representatives have come out to support the declaration of martial law for 60 days in Mindanao after the attack of the Maute Group in Marawi city, reflecting what could be an overwhelming approval of the declaration once the President reports it to Congress.

Under the 1987 Constitution, the President will have to report to Congress within 48 hours on the declaration of martial law. Congress will then approve or revoke the martial law declaration in a majority vote of its members.

Due to lessons learned from the Marcos martial law regime 鈥� which was marred by human rights violations, including torture and enforced disappearances 鈥� the 1987 Constitution provided checks and balances by allowing Congress and the Supreme Court to step in on the martial law declaration.

According to the 1987 Constitution, the president as commander-in-chief of all armed forces may declare martial law or suspend the privilege of the writ of habeas corpus to 鈥減revent or suppress lawless violence, invasion or rebellion鈥� for 60 days subject to approval of Congress.

Congress may also extend the proclamation or suspension of martial law upon the initiative of the President 鈥渋f the invasion or rebellion shall persist and public safety requires it.鈥�

The Supreme Court may also review the need for a declaration of martial law or suspension of the privilege of writ of habeas corpus upon an appropriate proceeding filed by a concerned citizen.

The Constitution states that a state of martial law 鈥渄oes not suspend the operation of the Constitution, nor supplant the functioning of the civil courts or legislative assemblies, nor authorize the conferment of jurisdiction on military courts and agencies over civilians where civil courts are able to function, nor automatically suspend the privilege of the writ of habeas corpus.鈥�

Before his plane took off bound for Manila from Russia, Duterte said his martial law would not be any different than that of Marcos. He has always raised the specter of martial law to solve the country鈥檚 ills, including the drug menace.

In a Facebook live interview with Assistant Secretary Mocha Uson of the Presidential Communications Operations Office, Duterte said: 鈥淢artial law is martial law. So kayong mga kababayan ko, you鈥檝e experienced martial law, it would not be any different from what the President Marcos did. I鈥檇 be harsh.鈥� /atm

搁贰础顿:听Mindanao martial law to be 鈥榓s harsh鈥� as that of Marcos 鈥� Duterte

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