Martial law foes turn to Supreme Court again

Opposition lawmakers who got swamped when an overwhelming majority in Congress on Saturday approved the extension of martial law in Mindanao until December may just have to challenge it before the Supreme Court.

In a statement on Sunday, Albay Rep. Edcel Lagman said the landslide 261-18 vote on Saturday “must not deter resort to the Supreme Court.”

“The supermajority in both chambers [House of Representatives and Senate] can be both wrong legally and politically,” Lagman said.

He said that the 150-day extension of the original 60-day proclamation “is inordinately long and is against the intent of the Constitution.”

“The Congress must be guided by the constitutional precept that any declaration of martial law and suspension of the writ of habeas corpus or its extension must only be for a limited period like the original proclamation which is limited to only 60 days,” he said.