Duterte camp: No need for martial law to stop crime

Presidential candidate Davao Mayor Rodrigo Duterte. INQUIRER PHOTO/RAFFY LERMA

There is no need for Davao City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte to declare martial law, should he become president, to fulfill his vow to stop crime and illegal drugs in the Philippines, his camp said on Thursday.

“We beg to disagree with Sen. Enrile. There is no need for Duterte to declare martial law. He needs only to enforce the law, the enforcement agencies to do their jobs, the judicial and penal system to work, and the community to cooperate,” Peter Lavina, Duterte’s spokesman, said in a statement.

Lavina said getting rid of drugs, crime, and corruption would require everyone’s cooperation.

“Duterte’s political will is the leading catalyst in this collective societal task. He will not, of course, succeed if we have a defeatist attitude and set up roadblocks on the way for genuine change,” he said.

READ: Martial law needed to solve crimes in 6 months, Enrile says

On Thursday, Sen. Juan Ponce Enrile said that Duterte would need to declare martial law to bust crime and illegal drugs within the first six months in office if elected in the May elections. JE

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