Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr.: It has its place but it is only for war. Precisely that’s why it’s called martial law.
MANILA, Philippines — Presidential aspirant Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. said on Tuesday that martial law has its place, but it only applies to wartime situations.
During the “Bakit Ikaw? the DZRH Presidential Job Interview,” Marcos Jr. was pressed regarding his stand on martial law, which had been imposed during the time of his father, the late President Ferdinand Marcos Sr..
“May lugar naman ang martial law. Martial law para sa gyera. Pag may gyera, kailangan mag martial law talaga dahil ang gumagalaw talaga at ang sinusundan natin ay ang military dahil sila ang lumalaban para sa atin,” Marcos Jr. said.
“It has its place but it is only for war. Precisely that’s why it’s called martial law,” he added.
During the interview, Marcos Jr. was also given a hypothetical scenario where protesters gathered and staged a people power revolution during his oathtaking as president.
According to Marcos Jr., he will start by taking his oath of office to be officially elected to the office of president and have the ability to exercise his power. Next, he will talk with the military about why a protest is taking place despite the results of the elections.
“You negotiate. Alangan namang you will start a civil war, Hindi natin gugustuhin yun. You have to defend the state, you have to defend the Republic from this kind of threat so make sure na buuin mo agad ang iyong gobyerno,” Marcos Jr. said.
(You negotiate. This will result in a civil war, which we do not want. You have to defend the state. You have to protect the Republic from this kind of threat, so make sure you form your government immediately.)
“At the same time, you negotiate with the demonstrators. You negotiate with those opposing you and see what the problem is. Baka naman pwedeng ayusin ito na hindi na kayo mag-demonstrate (You might be able to fix it so that there’s no need to demonstrate),” he added.
Pressed if he will declare martial law in this case, Marcos said: “Kung magkaputukan, yun and delikado sa lahat because that will be civil war (If there is a gunfight, it will be dangerous for everyone since it will be a civil war).”
“And the law is very clear, that is sedition, if you’re trying to bring the State down—with the duly elected, properly elected government with a mandate from the people—dapat hindi nila pabagsakin (they should not overthrow it) through violent means,” Marcos Jr. said.
“Siguro naman ‘yung batas ay nasa panig natin kapag ganyan ang nangyari. We have to protect the community. Huwag lang magputukan, kahit matagal tayo, linggo linggo tayong nagtitinginan, kahit nagmumurahan tayo, basta wag kayong magpaputok,” he added.
(If that happens, the law is probably on our side. The community must be protected. You don’t have to shoot; even if we’ve been together for a long time, even if we’ve argued, just don’t shoot.)