No such thing as ‘unli-martial law,’ Hontiveros tells Duterte

Senator Risa Hontiveros on Monday chided President Rodrigo Duterte over his recent remark that the next time he declares martial law, it would be “indefinite” and a Marcos “copycat.”

“There is no such thing as an indefinite Martial law in our constitution and laws. Walang unli-martial law,” Hontiveros, a member of the Senate minority bloc, said in a text message. 

“And even if President Duterte manages to implement this type of martial law, I am confident that the people will oppose and defeat it. Kung yung original martial law nga ni Ferdinand Marcos ay tinalo ng mamamayan, ang isang ‘Marcos copycat’ pa kaya,” she said.

President Duterte declared martial law in Mindanao last month, following the attack of the Maute group in Marawi City.

The said declaration contained in Proclamation No. 216 will expire in July, unless extended by Congress as mandated by the Constitution.

In a speech over the weekend, Duterte said if there is a need to declare martial law anew, he would no longer consult or listen to anybody but follow his own counsel.

“If anything goes wrong, mag-declare ako ng martial law ulit, the second time around, if the people suffer, bombings ganon, ‘di na ko makinig maski kanino,” he said.

“If that rebellion burns Mindanao and other parts of the Philippines, and I’ll be forced to declare martial law again, this time I will do it on my own to preserve my nation. I will not consult anybody and there’s no telling when will it end. It could be a copycat of Marcos,” Duterte added, referring to the late strongman Ferdinand Marcos.

Duterte earlier warned of a “harsh” martial law that “would not be any different from what President Marcos did.” — RSJ, GMA News