SPEAKER Pantaleon Alvarez on Friday appealed to the public not to conclude that the proposed suspension of the writ of habeas corpus might lead to the declaration of Martial Law.
Alvarez, secretary general of PDP-Laban, said the declaration of Martial Law “will never happen under the Duterte administration.”
“President Duterte will not do that, he will not do anything that violates the Constitution,” Alvarez said.
“I know him well. He will not do such a thing.”
Alvarez made his statement even as the group Sanlakas said a congressional resolution to suspend the writ of habeas corpus was a resolution to violate human rights.
“Hence, Sanlakas opposes the proposal to empower President Rodrigo Duterte to suspend the writ of habeas corpus in light of the recently declared State of National Emergency,” Sanlakas secretary general Aaron Pedrosa said in a statement.
“Senator Dick Gordon is set to file a Senate resolution granting the President said emergency power.”
Perdosa said the President may suspend the writ of habeas corpus only when public safety required it.
Reps. Harry Roque, Carlos Zarate and Edcel Lagman also criticized Gordon’s proposal.
“It is patently unconstitutional. Section 18, Article VII of the 1987 Constitution states that the privilege of writ of habeas corpus can only be suspended by the President by reason of invasion or rebellion, and subject to legal and judicial challenge on legal and factual basis,” Roque said.
“The writ of habeas corpus has been, and still remains, the best guarantee of the right to liberty.”
Roque said “suspending the writ of habeas corpus and revoking civil liberties is a slippery and dangerous path to Martial Law.”
Zarate said the proposed suspension of the writ of habeas corpus was unwarranted as it might lead to more human rights violations.
“As it is, some concerns on the guidelines of Presidential Proclamation 55 on warrantless arrests are already being raised and should be clarified by Malacañang,” Zarate said.