Robredo says martial law is back; Panelo retorts: ‘Not really’

MANILA, Philippines — Amid fears that the country is returning to the dark days of the martial law era, Vice President Leni Robredo said on Tuesday that martial rule is actually back.

Robredo, who is vocal against martial law and the alleged impunity under the Duterte administration, cited that news today are tackling the same issues that plague the nation back in the 1970s under former President Ferdinand Marcos.

“Kasi tingnan natin iyong mga balita ngayon. Kapag nagbasa tayo ng diyaryo, pinag-uusapan iyong pagha-harass sa mga members ng media na nagkakaroon ng lakas ng loob na i-call out iyong pamahalaan,” she said in an ambush interview after the Ka Pepe Diokno Human Rights Awards on Tuesday.

(If we look at the news today, we read about the harassment of the members of the media who are bold enough to call out the government.)

“Iyong pinag-uusapan, iyong threats na mawalan ng scholarships iyong mga estudyante. Iyong pinag-uusapan, iyong threat na ipapakulong. Iyong pinag-uusapan, mga patayan (We are discussing the threat to our students who may lose their scholarship. We are discussing the issues on killings),” she noted.

Based on facts?

Robredo claimed that her observation was based on the fact that there have been continued threats against media practitioners and critics as well as thousands killed due to the government’s war on illegal drugs.

“Parang time warp tayo, nandoon ulit tayo sa panahon noong dictatorship. Iyong mga pinag-uusapan ngayon, iyon din iyong pinag-usapan many years ago, at akala natin hindi na babalik iyong ganitong kultura sa atin, pero bumalik na naman,” she added.

(It’s like being in a time warp. The dictatorship is back. What we are discussing today are the same issues we were talking about years ago. We never thought that it will ever return, but it’s back.)

Critics of the administration, including former President Benigno Aquino III, had said that they feel that the country is making a u-turn back to martial law.

He cited recent pronouncements and decisions of President Rodrigo Duterte, in particular, the moves to re-create a Department of Human Settlements and the proposal to change the name of the country to “Maharlika.”

Former First Lady Imelda Marcos headed the Human Settlements office, and Maharlika was the name of a guerrilla unit allegedly led by the late dictator.

READ: We seem to be making U-turn back to martial law era — Aquino

Palace reacts

Malacañang, however, denied that the Duterte administration is taking a U-turn back to the martial law era of the late strongman Marcos.

“I cannot even see the connection why are they saying that,” Presidential Spokesperson Salvador Panelo told reporters in Malacañang.

Panelo also dismissed claims that Duterte has dictatorial tendencies.

“Dictatorial tendencies, like what?” he asked. “We’re not going back to martial law regime. Certainly not.”

The Palace official said the opposition might be talking about something that they were not able to do during their regime.

“Baka ‘yun ang gusto nila noon na hindi nila nagawa. Yung bumalik sa martial law (They may have wanted to do that — to bring back martial law),” he said.

The older Aquino governed under a revolutionary government after Marcos was ousted in power.

“Hindi ba Cory was installed as a dictator. Di ba naging dictator siya. I mean hindi nyo alam? Di ba revolutionary government, one woman rule at that time,” he added. “But definitely we’re not going back there. Baka sila gusto.”

(Isn’t it that Cory was installed as a dictator? She had ruled as a dictator. Don’t you know that? It’s a revolutionary government, a one-woman rule at that time.)

Panelo added that Aquino and his allies were only frustrated and wanted to pass to the current administration what they were not able to accomplish during their time.

“Lahat naman nang niri-raise nila puro walang basis eh. They were only citing the case of De Lima and Trillanes, but these are violations of law (They are raising all kinds of issues, but they have no basis. They are only citing the case of De Lima and Trillanes, but these are violations of law),” he said.

“What I’m saying is kaya siguro inaakusahan nila si President baka nung panahon nila gusto nilang bumalik na sila yung one-man rule, na hindi nila nagawa (What I’m saying is they are accusing the President because they wanted to go back to the one-man rule that they weren’t able to do during their time),” Panelo reiterated. /ee