Aquino hailed for rejecting calls to impose martial law in Yolanda-hit areas
President Benigno Aquino III INQUIRER FILE PHOTO
MANILA, Philippines – A civil society group lauded President Benigno Aquino III for not imposing martial law in Tacloban despite reported massive looting in there after monster typhoon “Yolanda” smashed the city.
“While a despot would welcome any opportunity to infringe on civil liberties, including the suspension of the privilege of the writ of habeas corpus, which would mean non-recourse to the courts to question a person’s detention, [we] are happy that [President Aquino] rejected the temptation to exercise powers of a dictator,” lawyer Harry Roque of Centerlaw.
Roque said the President is correct that declaring martial law in the area should be exercised with caution.
Thousands of people were killed and billions worth of properties were destroyed by typhoon Yolanda (international name: Haiyan) which ravaged several provinces in Visayas and Mindanao.
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