Malacañang said on Monday that President Duterte had no intention of bypassing the Supreme Court and Congress when he told soldiers during a visit in Jolo over the weekend that he would listen only to the police and the military in enforcing martial law in Mindanao.
Opposition senators, however, issued statements blasting the President and warned of a looming dictatorship.
Presidential spokesperson Ernesto Abella said Mr. Duterte meant he would take the word more of “those who are truly aware of the situation”—the martial law enforcers.
“This is not meant to bypass the Supreme Court or the legislative [branch]. It simply means to say that those who have true and accurate reports … on which he will depend will be the military and the Philippine National Police,” Abella said at the first “Mindanao Hour” press conference called to update the public on the government offensive against terrorists in Marawi City.
Senate Majority Leader Vicente Sotto III echoed Abella’s statement, saying the President “probably means the AFP and the PNP are the ones who would know what’s happening.”
In a text message, Sen. Panfilo Lacson said people should “get used to [Mr. Duterte’s] rhetoric by now” as he pointed out that the Chief Executive was, after all, a lawyer by profession and knew “he can’t ignore the Supreme Court and Congress in this regard.”
“The mere fact that he complied with the constitutional requirement of submitting to Congress the written report within 48 hours shows his respect and regard to the Constitution and established authorities,” Lacson said.
Impact on country
Agreeing that the President knew he could not ignore Congress or the high court, Sen. Grace Poe pointed out the tendency of Mr. Duterte to “speak depending on who he’s addressing, who his audience is.”
“I know the President still has to realize that whatever he utters, whether in a small, intimate gathering or a huge gathering, will have an impact on the country,” Poe told a cable news program on Monday.
But Sen. Antonio Trillanes IV said it was clear from Day One that Mr. Duterte “had no respect for the rule of law and democratic institutions.”
“People should start waking up because he will keep on pushing the boundaries of his power for as long as no one is pushing back,” Trillanes said.
“No one is above the law, not even the President,” Sen. Francis Pangilinan said.
“We call on patriotic and sober Cabinet members, as well as the Armed Forces leadership, to assert themselves, to speak truth to the President, to caution and urge him not to violate the Constitution and his oath of office,” he added.
“We call for courage, for bearers of light to stand against the looming tide of darkness upon our land.”
Constitutional violation
“Is the President saying that he’s willing to violate the Constitution? He is on his way [to] becoming a dictator,” said Ifugao Rep. Teddy Baguilat.
“The question is, can we trust this President to be a martial law administrator given his penchant for violence, disregard for the rule of law and our Constitution? Can we trust this administration, which thrives on lies and alternative facts?” said Akbayan Rep. Tom Villarin.
Magdalo Rep. Gary Alejano said “the Filipino people should be warned that the President has long had the intention to impose martial law on the whole country.”
Ombudsman Conchita Carpio Morales, in an interview with reporters, played down Mr. Duterte’s reported threat.
Knee-jerk reaction
“That’s a mere knee-jerk reaction to the Supreme Court,” said Morales, a retired member of the high tribunal, whose nephew, Manases Carpio, is a son-of-law of Mr. Duterte.
“The President is a lawyer, he has advisers, he should know the limitations indicated in the Constitution,” she said.
The Commission on Human Rights (CHR) is monitoring the implementation of martial law in Mindanao.
“There is the danger of abuse. Our concern is that no rights [should be] trampled upon,” CHR Commissioner Roberto Eugenio Cadiz told the Inquirer.
In a joint statement over the weekend, the presidents of five Ateneo University campuses in the country urged Mr. Duterte to “act judiciously,” saying that the country had “more than a decade of reasons” to be wary of martial law. —WITH REPORTS FROM NIKKO DIZON, JOCELYN R. UY, VINCE F. NONATO AND NESTOR P. BURGOS JR.