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Duterte, Congress, SC won’t allow martial law extension ‘in perpetuity’ —Palace


President Rodrigo Duterte, Congress and the Supreme Court will not allow the extension of martial law in perpetuity, Malacañang said Thursday, allaying the fear of those opposed to the extension of martial rule in Mindanao.

“On the petitioners’ allegations that martial law may lead to ‘extension in perpetuity,’ these are mere surmises and conjectures and not supported by law and the Constitution,” said presidential spokesperson Harry Roque Jr. in a statement.

“Martial law in perpetuity is a scenario that neither the President, Congress [nor] the Supreme Court will allow as it is patently unconstitutional,” he added.

Roque was responding to the opposition lawmakers’ petition asking the Supreme Court to nullify the one-year extension of martial law in Mindanao.

Roque also said that both the Legislative and Executive branches of government decided that the further extension of martial law in Mindanao would be necessary to quell the remaining terrorists who attacked Marawi City and its neighboring communities in May.

“The legal and factual bases of the martial law extension have been clearly established based on the security assessment by our ground commanders,” he said, refuting petitioners’ claim that there was no sufficient factual basis for the extension.

“We are thus prepared to defend our position before the High Court,” Roque said.

The petition called on the high court to issue a temporary restraining order or a writ of preliminary injunction to stop the implementation of the extension of martial law and of the suspension of the privilege of the writ of habeas corpus in Mindanao, effective January 1, 2018 to December 31, 2018.

The petitioners were Albay Representative Edcel Lagman, Caloocan Representative Edgar Erice, Ifugao Representative Teddy Baguilat Jr., Capiz Representative Emmanuel Billones, Magdalo party-list Representative Gary Alejano, and Akbayan party-list Representative Tomasito Villarin. —KBK, GMA News

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