Nene Pimentel refutes son Koko: Congress should convene on martial law

Former Senate President Aquilino “Nene” Pimentel Jr. on Thursday said that Congress should convene jointly to discuss the declaration of martial law in Mindanao, contrary to the opinion of his son and sitting Senate President Aquilino “Koko” Pimentel III.

“I wish to say that there is probably a bounding duty of the Senate and the House to look into the actual situation in Mindanao,” the elder Pimentel told reporters in an interview.

“That is what the Constitution provides. Within 48 hours after the declaration of martial rule, President [Rodrigo] Duterte is obligated to submit his report in writing or in person before the Senate and the House in joint session. Kung walang session, call [for] a special session,” he said.

The former senator’s remarks were in stark contrast with that of his son, Koko, who earlier said it would be “useless” to call for a joint session on martial law if there is no intention to revoke it.

In an interview last week, Koko Pimentel said: “If it is not to revoke then we can still meet whether to call the joint session or not kasi useless di ba?”

Koko, also one of the closest allies of President Rodrigo Duterte, was one of the 12 senators who voted to junk the Senate minority bloc’s resolution calling for a joint session. The vote was 12-9.

Before the vote, a closed-door briefing was held at the Senate by Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana and National Security Adviser Hermogenes Esperon Jr. Majority of the senators said they were convinced of the need of martial law in Mindanao following the briefing.

Asked what he thought of his son’s position on the matter, the elder Pimentel said the Senate President had so many “ifs.”

“What I understand is that he had so many ‘ifs’ preliminary to this thing. If, if, if and then and you give a general statement,” he said.

“But if you base the actions of the Senate and the House, it has be on the basis of what the Constitution mandates because the people have to know. Ano ba ang puno't dulo nito?” he added.

The elder Pimentel said he earlier advised his son to “do what you think is right and do no let people judge you because of what I say.”

While the former senator does not see martial law being declared nationwide, he said the “people should speak out.”

“If the people think there is something wrong, they should speak out. We are a democracy, that is the job of the people. Good governance does not depend on the governors alone but also on the governed,” Nene Pimentel said. — RSJ, GMA News