MANILA – Speaker Pantaleon Alvarez on Thursday defended the declaration of martial law covering the whole of Mindanao Island, saying that such a move was “common sense” even though the locus of the clash between government security forces and terrorists was only in Marawi City.
“Napakaliit na lugar ng Marawi. Siyempre, halimbawa nagpuputukan d’yan at ’yan ay lumipat sa karatig ng probinsya. Sasabihin nanaman ng pangulo, declare na naman ng martial law doon sa kabilang probinsya. Para namang gago tayo n’yan (Marawi is very small place. If they transfer a nearby province, then the president will have to declare martial law anew. That’s silly. How will that makes us look?),” Alvarez told a radio interview.
Speaker Alvarez was responding to some lawmakers who had reacted negatively to President Rodrigo Duterte’s decision to place the entire Mindanao under martial law following the breakout of hostilities Tuesday.
“Baka hindi sila taga-Mindanao … Alam niyo, mag-presidente muna sila kasi ’yong kapangyarihan na ’yan ay ibinigay ng ating Saligang Batas sa presidente (Maybe they are not from Mindanao … They should be in the position of the president because that power resides with the president under the Constitution),” he said.
Alvarez urged lawmakers instead to stick to their charter as members of the legislative branch under the Constitution.
“Let us restrict ourselves doon sa mandato natin sa Saligang Batas (to our mandate under the Constitution),” he said.
He also underscored that the President Duterte made the right move to declare martial law so it could put an end to the terrorism in Mindanao.
“Once and for all, let us address this problem properly and seriously. Tama po ang ginawa ng ating pangulo, ‘yong pag-deklara ng martial law sa buong Mindanao para (The president did right when he declared martial in the entire Mindanao so) once and for all, matapos na itong problema natin (our problem will finally end),” he said.
He also assured that there are safeguards enshrined under the Constitution to prevent abuse of power by government forces under martial law.
He said either Congress could revoke martial law or any citizen could file at the Supreme Court to question the proclamation.
“Para sa ating mga kababayan, ’wag po tayong mabahala sa pagdekalra ng martial law ng ating pangulo. Dapat po mabahala tayo sa kaguluhan ng nangyayari sa ating bansa, doon po sa mga ginagawa ng mga terorista sa mga insonsentng mga mamamayan (Our citizens should not be concerned about martial law. Let’s worry about the turmoil happening in our country, about the acts of terrorists against innocent citizens),” he said.
