MANILA – It is “constitutionally mandatory” for the Senate and the House of Representatives to convene in joint session to revoke or not President Rodrigo Duterte’s martial law declaration, a senior lawmaker said.
Albay Representative Edcel Lagman said the separate briefing to be conducted by Cabinet members for members of the two chambers should be done instead during a joint session.
“The reported individual opinions of Members of the Congress that they are not disposed to revoke the declaration must not be used as an alibi by the leadership of both Chambers not to convene because there is need for a collective decision of a majority of all Members voting jointly whether or not to junk or delimit the martial law imposition,” he said.
The lawmaker said the deliberation of the senators and congressmen will give the public the opportunity to know the pros and cons of the declaration of martial law.
He said the “critical immediacy” of holding the joint session is important because the declaration of martial law has been effective immediately.
“Hence, there must be no undue delay in the congressional assessment of the declaration’s merits, factual basis and territorial coverage,” he said.
