SPEAKER Pantaleon Alvarez said Thursday that House leaders were open to extending the 60-day martial law period in Mindanao following the continued terrorist attacks by the Maute group.
Alvarez, secretary-general of the ruling Partido Demokratikong Pilipino-Lakas ng Bayan, said the House may approve the martial law extension “if necessary” as the Armed Forces of the Philippines has yet to gain full control of the situation in Marawi City.
President Rodrigo Duterte declared martial law in the entire Mindanao on May 23. It will lapse on July 23.
Alvarez reiterated that if the Supreme Court, in response to several petitions, orders Congress to convene a joint session to debate martial law, he would ignore the order.
“Just read the Constitution, what does it say? It says the President has to report to Congress—he will be the one to report and we will listen. It doesn’t say he’ll report and listen to us,” Alvarez said.
Opposition lawmakers led by Albay Rep. Edcel Lagman questioned President Duterte’s martial law declaration before the Supreme Court and the House leadership’s refusal to convene a joint session with senators to debate the proclamation.
The House, in plenary session, earlier adopted a resolution supporting President Duterte’s declaration of martial law.
The Senate has adopted a similar resolution.
President Duterte’s administrator and implementor of martial law on Thursday appeared before the Supreme Court to present the factual bases for Proclamation 216 placing entire Mindanao under martial law.
Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana, martial law administrator, and Armed Forces of the Philippines Chief of Staff Gen. Eduardo Año, its implementor, briefed the magistrates on the justification for the proclamation during a closed-door session.
Court spokesman Theodore Te said Lorenzana and Año, both respondents in the petitions against Proclamation 216, made a presentation before the justices.
However, Te did not provide information on the presentation as it involved matters of national security.
“After the presentation was made, the justices continued with the interpellation of the parties. After satisfying itself with the answers, the Court decided to conclude the oral arguments,” he said.
The justices continued interpellation on Solicitor General Jose Calida and Lagman, who represented the respondents and petitioners respectively during the closed-door session.
In an interview afterward, Calida said Lorenzana and Año presented intelligence information that bolstered the justification for Proclamation No. 216, but also did not reveal the details.
“It was a Powerpoint presentation. Materials were given and they answered questions from the justices,” he said.
The chief state lawyer said that they were able to prove that elements of rebellion—raising arms against the government and culpable purpose of removing allegiance from the government—were present in the Marawi crisis that required the President to use his power of declaring martial law under Section 18, Article VII of the Constitution.
He said the officials were able to show that Maute and other rebel groups in Mindanao like Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighter and Abu Sayyaf have already established links to establish an Islamic State in Mindanao.
He also denied the alleged human rights abuses raised by the Integrated Bar of the Philippine Lanao del Sur chapter.
The case involves three consolidated petitions filed by opposition lawmakers led by Lagman, local Mindanao leaders led by Lumad leader Eufemia Campos Cullamat and a group of women from Marawi led by Norkaya Mohamad.
Two other petitions were filed by separate groups led by former senators Rene Saguisag and Wigberto Tañada both seeking issuance of a mandamus that would compel Senate and the House of Representatives to convene jointly to review the declaration.
Te said the SC has decided to require the Palace to answer these two other petitions, which were not consolidated with the first three.
Malacañang expressed confidence that the Supreme Court will side with the government. With John Paolo Bencito