Sen. Franklin Drilon (File photo by GRIG C. MONTEGRANDE / Philippine Daily Inquirer)
Opposition senators are now ready to support any effort to question in the Supreme Court the martial law declaration in Mindanao after they failed to convince Congress to deliberate on it in a joint session.
But Sen. Franklin Drilon, the minority leader, said they would just let other legal scholars bring the issue before the Supreme Court – lest they be accused of engaging in partisan politics.
“We will support any effort to go to Supreme Court. There are certain rules we are aware of,” Drilon told reporters on Wednesday. “We have been asked whether we should go to the SC. My personal view is ayaw kong mabahiran ng pulitika. Let the other legal scholars do it.”
“That’s my view, given the very tense environment that we are in today, very partisan,” he added. “We don’t want that any case with the SC will be tainted with partisanship because it’s a constitutional issue and we want it to remain that way.”
Drilon said it would probably be the first time that the provision of the Constitution would be tested.
“Let the legal scholars study it,” he said.
On Tuesday, the Senate voted 12-9 to junk the minority group’s resolution, calling for a joint session of Congress to deliberate on President Rodrigo Duterte’s declaration of martial law in Mindanao.
The resolution was signed by Drilon, and five other members of the opposition group – Senators Francis Pangilinan, Risa Hontiveros, Antonio Trillanes IV, Bam Aquino, and Leila de Lima.
Except for De Lima, who has been detained at Camp Crame in Quezon City on drug charges, all five opposition senators and four others from the majority bloc – Senate President Pro Tempore Ralph Recto, Grace Poe, Francis “Chiz” Escudero, and Sherwin Gatchalian – voted for the resolution.
Twelve senators, however, voted against the measure. /atm
READ: Voting 12-9, Senate ditches minority’s bid for joint session to tackle martial law
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