Trillanes taunts Duterte over martial law remark

Senator Antonio Trillanes IV President and Rodrigo Duterte. INQUIRER FILE PHOTOS

Senator Antonio Trillanes IV taunted President Rodrigo Duterte for floating the idea of imposing martial law when he had already promised to step down should he fail to end the drug menace in the country within three to six months.

This after Duterte floated the possibility of imposing martial law as a “contingency to meet widespread violence.”

READ: Duterte: Martial law a contingency to meet widespread violence

“Akala ko ba three to six months lang kaya nya ng tapusin ang drug problem or else magre-resign sya? Tapos ngayon kailangan na mag martial law? Anyare? Nag-supermoon (I though he could solve the drug problem within three to six months or else he would resign? And now, martial law is necessary? What happened? It became a supermoon)?” Trillanes said in a text message to reporters.

Trillanes is a member of the opposition bloc and a staunch critic of Duterte. The senator even accused the President of being behind the alleged extrajudicial killings in the country.

While he said he was not keen on imposing martial law, Duterte said it could be a “contingency” measure to solve widespread violence in the country.

“I am not a fan of Martial Law. Abugado ako e. Natakot yung mga tao sa (I’m a lawyer. People were afraid of) martial law but if ever, martial law is a contingency to meet widespread violence,” the President was quoted by the media as saying Tuesday night.

Duterte had also warned earlier that he would suspend the privilege writ of habeas corpus if lawlessness in the country would escalate. He later told congressional leaders that he was just “thinking aloud” when he made the said remark. RAM

READ: Duterte ‘thinking aloud, not serious’ about suspending writ—solons

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