Albay Rep. Edcel Lagman on Thursday decried the haste with which both chambers of Congress granted its legislative nod to President Duterte’s request prolonging martial law in Mindanao until the end of 2019.
Speaking at a news briefing, the leader of opposition lawmakers known as “Magnificent 7” in the House of Representatives said military rule was apparently imposed during the joint congressional session on Wednesday, when representatives and senators were barred from freely discussing their views.
Three-minute limit
During the special session presided over by both Speaker Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo and Senate President Vicente Sotto III, the lawmakers were only given three minutes to ask military officials about the security situation in Mindanao and one minute to explain their votes.
“Premeditated alacrity is anathema to democracy,” Lagman said.
“The undue restriction on the right to interpellate and explain one’s vote follows the pattern of limitation designed by the executive [branch] in forwarding the request for extension on the eleventh hour,” he added.
The Senate and the House voted 235-28, with one abstension, on Wednesday to approve the President’s request to extend martial law in Mindanao up to Dec. 31, 2019.
The three-minute limit imposed by Congress leaders prevented the legislators from “fully deliberating on the merits of the requested extension and amply validate its proffered factual basis,” the Albay representative said.
‘Cowed’ citizens
“The Congress, as a deliberative assembly, must allow the free rein of interpellation and debate on crucial issues like a third extension of martial law in Mindanao, which may embolden anew the military to violate civil, political and human rights even as the citizens are cowed from expressing dissent,” he said.
While the entire Mindanao would be placed under martial law for another 8,760 hours, Lagman said the contentious issue was only discussed by lawmakers for some four hours.
Security officials said the extension of martial law was necessary because rebellion persisted and public safety was still in danger in Mindanao.