With the New People’s Army (NPA) now also a target of a possible one-year extension, Senate Minority Leader Franklin Drilon asked on Wednesday whether this was a “prelude to declaring martial law nationwide.”
“The NPA conflict has been there for the last four decades. Suddenly, the NPA is cited as an additional group for martial law extension in Mindanao…Is this now a prelude to declaring martial law nationwide?” Drilon said during the joint session of Congress.
In his letter to Congress, one of the reasons Duterte cited was the NPA, which he recently declared as a terrorist group.
He said the NPA “intensified their decades-long rebellion against the government and stepped up terrorist acts against innocent civilians and private entities, as well as guerilla warfare against the security sector and public and government infrastructure.”
This, Duterte said, was done “purposely to seize political power through violent means and supplant the country’s democratic form of government with communist rule.”
Deputy Executive Secretary Menardo Guevarra said Drilon asked a “rhetorical question.”
“I supposed that this is a rhetorical question. All of these will depend on the factual circumstances as defined by the Constitution...These will have to be present before the President can make use of his extraordinary powers under the Constitution,” Guevarra said.
Duterte wants Congress to grant a martial law extension in Mindanao until December 31, 2018.
Last July 22, Congress, in special session, voted to approve Duterte’s request to extend martial law in Mindanao until December 31 of this year.
A 60-day martial law was initially declared by Duterte in Mindanao on May 23 following the attack of the Maute group in Marawi City. | GMA
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