THE military on Friday said that it is set to hand over its assessment on the implementation of martial law as early as next week, before it expires on July 22.
Although they are still assessing the situation in Marawi City, where government forces have been battling local terrorist groups since May 23, the military expressed the need to submit their recommendation to President Rodrigo Duterte before the 60th day of his declaration.
“Our assessment is ongoing. So maybe we can give this the earliest by next week or before the 60-day implementation [as set by the Constitution] lapses,” he said in Filipino.
On Tuesday, Duterte scored a legal victory after the Supreme Court, voting 11-3-1, upheld the constitutionality of Proclamation No. 216, which declared martial law in Mindanao.
While he was on an official visit in Moscow, Duterte placed Mindanao under military rule and suspended the privilege of the writ of habeas corpus in Mindanao after the ISIS-inspired Maute group overran Marawi City.
Both Armed Forces chief Gen. Eduardo Año and Philippine National Police chief Director General Ronald Dela Rosa had said they would recommend an extention of martial law if the Marawi crisis remained unresolved, and to possibly cover the rehabilitation phase in Marawi.
Duterte previously said that the duration of martial law in Mindanao rests on the recommendation of security forces, saying that they are more familiar with the situation on the ground.
Senate President Aquilino Pimentel III on Friday said he agreed with Minority Leader Franklin Drilon that the President must inform Congress about any extension of martial law before it ends on July 22.
He noted that extension must be requested before the end of the original term.
Drilon on Thursday said only Congress has the power to extend martial law as he noted that to advise the President to simply issue a new proclamation if Congress does not approve of an extension is “an insult to the Constitution.”
“The Constitution is clear that it is Congress that has the power to extend martial law and the President may only recommend it,” Drilon said.
“We need a briefing too on the progress of martial law from May 23 up to this time,” Pimentel said Friday. With Macon Ramos-Araneta
