‘Poll shows Filipinos’ rejection of martial law, violence’

The recent Pulse Asia survey showing that majority of Filipinos do not favor martial law was a reflection of the people’s “rejection” of a government leaning towards violence, Senator Bam Aquino said on Wednesday.

And Aquino hopes that Malacañang would listen to this sentiment of the people, who rejected martial law as shown in the Pulse Asia survey conducted from December 6 to 11 last year. The survey showed that 74 percent of the 1,200 respondents did not approve of martial law as a solution to the country’s crises.

READ: Most Filipinos find martial law unnecessary—Pulse Asia

“It’s a complete rejection of this type of leadership, that type of governance na masyadong nakakiling sa violence o nakakiling sa martial rule (that leans toward violence or martial rule),” the senator said in an interview at the Senate.

“Ang taumbayan natin naghahanap ng bagong solusyon, hindi na iyong mga nagawa natin noon na nakasama sa ating bansa.”

“Sana pakinggan tayo ng Malacañang. Matapos na ang usapang ito. Clearly, kitang kita naman, 74 percent, iyong mayorya ng taumbayan, ayaw na ng martial rule at naghahanap ng bagong solusyon sa mga problema natin,” he added.

(Our countrymen are looking for new solutions, not those that have been done before and have done harm to our country.

We hope that the Malacañang listens to us. This discussion must come to an end. Clearly, as we can see, 74 percent, majority of the people, rejects martial law and are looking for new solutions to our problems.)

Aquino noted that President Rodrigo Duterte, while saying that he would not declare martial law, has expressed desire to amend the Constitution so that the declaration could be done even without the approval of Congress and the Supreme Court.

“Ang mahirap kasi, kapag may problema, parang iyon lang lagi, doon lang bumabalik lagi, na ang lang solusyon lang sa problema natin, magkaroon ng increased military presence, increased police presence, maging mas istrikto, maging mas harsh,” the senator lamented.

“Parang iyon na lang lagi ang mga solusyon na ibinibigay sa atin. I think iyong taumbayan, habang naghahanap sila ng lunas sa mga problema, naghahanap din sila ng bagong solusyon mula sa gobyerno,” added Aquino, nephew of martyred Senator Benigno “Ninoy” Aquino Jr.

(The thing is, whenever there is a problem, that’s what we always get, it all goes back to that, that the solution to our problem is to have increased military presence, increased police presence, to be stricter, be harsher.

It appears that that is always the solution being offered to us. I think the people, while they are looking for solutions to problems, they also seek new solutions from the government.) CDG

READ: Duterte’s wish: Martial law sans Congress, SC nod