Back to martial law? Palace says no

MANILA, Philippines — Malacañang yesterday disputed claims the country is returning to martial law and maintained there is no crackdown on critics of the administration.

“Definitely we’re not going back there (martial law),” presidential spokesman Salvador Panelo said in a chance interview.

He stressed the filing of cases against some critics of President Duterte like Sens. Leila de Lima and Antonio Trillanes IV was not to persecute them but to make them answerable to possible violation of the law.

“All the things they raised do not have basis. They are only citing the case of De Lima and Trillanes but these are violations of law,” he added.

Interviewed after speaking at the Ka Pepe Diokno Human Rights Awards 2019 at the De La Salle University yesterday, Vice President Leni Robredo said a dictatorship is indeed gripping the country.

She raised the observation in reply to a question if she thought dictatorship had made a comeback.

“Bumalik na (It has returned),” Robredo said. “It seems we have entered a time warp. We’re again at the time of dictatorship.”

De Lima, a staunch critic of Duterte, was arrested and jailed in 2017 over drug-related charges. Trillanes, meanwhile, is facing coup d’etat and rebellion charges after the Duterte administration voided the amnesty given to him by former president Benigno Aquino III in 2011. The senator had been involved in two uprisings against former president Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo in 2003 and 2007.

Panelo also stressed that the government is not stifling freedom of the press as claimed by Rappler chief executive officer Maria Ressa, who has been charged with cyber libel.

“Rappler is a matter of violating a law. That’s why she (Ressa) was prosecuted for that and the courts found probable cause. Let’s not forget that,” the spokesman said.

Panelo was reacting to pronouncements by Robredo, Aquino and other opposition figures that the country appeared to be making a U-turn to martial law.

The country celebrated the 33rd anniversary of the EDSA People Power Revolution on Monday. Duterte skipped the rites.

On Saturday, Aquino said the Philippines appeared to be making a U-turn to martial law.

He said some of the Duterte administration’s recent proposals remind him of the Marcos regime, including the creation of the Department of Human Settlements as well as suggestion to rename the Philippines.

Aquino said a Department of Human Settlements would be a resurrected Ministry of Human Settlements headed by then first lady Imelda Marcos.

But Panelo argued it was the opposition that was wishing for a return to dictatorship of the late president Corazon Aquino.

“Cory was installed as a dictator... You did not know that? It was a revolutionary government, one woman rule at that time,” he said.

Aquino declared a revolutionary government after the 1986 People Power Revolution, which ended the 20-year rule of Ferdinand Marcos.

“Maybe the previous administration wanted to do a la-Cory at that time but failed to do so,” he said.

‘Power movements’

As Filipinos commemorated the 33rd anniversary of the people power on Monday, President Duterte warned soldiers and policemen against joining “power movements” controlled by “elitist” groups.

“I told the military and the police, the rich has power movement. Look at their spokesmen. Where do they live? In Forbes Park. That’s the crowd of (former interior secretary Mar) Roxas,” Duterte said during an assembly of village leaders in Pasay on Monday.

“Sila, mga elitista, tapos yan sila mag-power power movement. Tapos kayo naman, military pati pulis, sumasali kayo, tapos sabihin nyo, ‘o dito kami sa kampong ito’ (The elitists have power movement. The military and police join them and say, ‘We belong to this camp’). And you have done that several times,” the President said.

“Oh my God, so that ibigay mo doon, kanino mo doon i-turn over ang gobyerno? Doon sa kalaban nya sa pulitika (To whom will you turn over the government? To the political rivals). Better stop it,” he added.

The President did not mention the EDSA Revolution in his speech, but supporters of the Marcoses have been claiming that the historic event was an elitist uprising.

Duterte said government forces should not interfere with political rivalries and should not give power to the corrupt.

“Kunin mo sa isang kurakot, ibigay mo dun sa kung hindi kurakot ang unggoy na yan... Kung magkudeta kayo, mag-mutiny kayo, wag mong isauli sa pulitiko, isauli mo sa Pilipino (If you get it from the corrupt, give it to those who are not corrupt. If you launch a coup, do not return the power to politicians. Return it to the Filipinos),” he said.

Duterte said soldiers and policemen should find “bright” people from the military or the “brightest” young people from Makati and allow them to assume power.

“Tell them we will guarantee your term for seven years, do everything for the country. You politicians, take a break. That solves it. We will rise,” he added. 

At DLSU, Robredo said the issues now are the same as many years ago.

“We thought this kind of culture will no longer return in our country,” she said.

“Let’s look at the news now, the issues are about the harassment of the media, threats to remove scholarships of students, killings,” the Vice President noted.

“Today, the world’s eyes are upon us once more, as our nation comes to grips with potent foreshadowings that our past trauma has returned: the growing culture of division and polarization among us Filipinos, the dark side of the war on drugs that trample human rights, and threats to press freedom that weaken the Fourth Estate, a critical element in our democracy,” Robredo said in her speech.  –  Helen Flores