Senate backs martial law; no joint session

MANILA, Philippines - The Senate yesterday approved a resolution voicing support for President Duterte’s declaration of martial law in Mindanao, and later junked a resolution by the minority bloc calling for a joint session of Congress to deliberate on Proclamation 216.

Fifteen senators signed Senate Resolution 388 filed last Monday. In approving the resolution, the senators said violence perpetrated by the Maute group was part of a rebellion meant to dismember Mindanao. Rebellion is a justification for martial law, they said.

Voting 17-5, the senators approved Resolution 388 “not to revoke the declaration at this time.”

The senators who signed SR 388 were Senate President Aquilino Pimentel III and Senators Vicente Sotto III, Ralph Recto, Sonny Angara, Nancy Binay, JV Ejercito, Sherwin Gatchalian, Richard Gordon, Gregorio Honasan, Panfilo Lacson, Loren Legarda, Emmanuel Pacquiao, Joel Villanueva, Cynthia Villar and Juan Miguel Zubiri.  Senators Francis Escudero and Grace Poe did not sign the resolution but voted to approve it.

Duterte issued Proclamation 216 from Moscow early this week placing the entire Mindanao under martial rule last Tuesday after Maute militants seized parts of Marawi City. The terrorists went on a killing rampage, burned establishments, and took several hostages. More than 100 people have been killed in the fighting between security forces and the terrorists who were claiming to have links with the Middle East-based Islamic State.

“The Senate finds the issuance of Proclamation No. 216 to be satisfactory, constitutional and accordance with the law. The Senate hereby supports fully Proclamation 216 and finds no compelling reason to revoke the same,” the resolution read.

Those who did not sign the resolution were Francis Pangilinan, Franklin Drilon, Risa Hontiveros, Antonio Trillanes IV and Bam Aquino.

Later in the day, the Senate, voting 12-9, rejected the proposal to conduct a joint congressional session to deliberate on Duterte’s declaration of martial law. The minority bloc had sponsored Resolution 390 for the joint session.

The 12 senators who voted against holding a joint session were Pimentel, Sotto, Lacson, Pacquiao, Angara, Binay, Ejercito, Legarda, Villar, Gordon, Honasan and Zubiri.?The nine who voted in favor of a joint session were Drilon, Pangilinan, Hontiveros, Aquino, Trillanes, Escudero, Gatchalian, Poe and Recto.

Malacañang thanked the senators who passed a resolution supporting Duterte’s martial law proclamation.

“On 15 senators expressing support for Proclamation 216.

We thank the Senate for its resolution expressing support to the President’s declaration of martial law in Mindanao,” presidential spokesman Ernesto Abella said yesterday.

“The President has acted swiftly and decisively to suppress the ongoing rebellion in Marawi and to prevent its spread in the provinces of Mindanao.

However, the executive branch cannot do it alone,” Abella said, seeking cooperation of Congress and everybody in the government to put a stop on the scourge of local extremists.

“We need the cooperation of the entire government and the support of our people to finally flush out the evil forces, restore normalcy, and bring peace to the island of Mindanao,” Abella said.

Chief presidential legal adviser Salvador Panelo said Congress does not have to convene in joint session if it won’t revoke Proclamation 216 on martial law.

“There is no need for them to convene if they are in approval of the martial law declaration. Constitution says it will convene in a regular special session when it is not in session. But there is session now, so there is no need to convene,” he said.

“What I think the Constitution says is, if they will revoke it, there is a need to convene to vote,” Panelo pointed out.  “If there is no session to discuss that, the logic there is that they are all in agreement for the declaration of martial law.”

Martial law expansion

At the House of Representatives, Speaker Pantaleon Alvarez said yesterday he is open to extending martial law in Mindanao “if necessary and if President Duterte will ask for it.”

“We will agree to a joint session only if we extend martial law at the instance of the President before the end of the 60-day period that it is in effect,” he told reporters.

He conceded though that it is too early to talk about extension since martial law has been in force for only one week.

Alvarez reiterated that there is no need for a joint session of the Senate and the House of Representatives to review Duterte’s basis for his martial law declaration or to affirm it.

“Those asserting this should read the Constitution. A joint session is needed only to revoke or extend martial law, and a decision on the part of the majority of each chamber is required,” he said.

He added the House would agree to a combined session to extend martial law but not to revoke it.

“Why should we revoke it, when the majority of us here agree with the President’s decision. In fact, Mindanao congressmen led by Maxi Rodriguez (of Cagayan de Oro City) have a resolution to support it. I already signed it,” he said.