President Rodrigo Duterte slammed on Saturday the Supreme Court for questioning his basis for the declaration of martial law in Mindanao.
“They (Maute terrorists) committed the crime of rebellion, and there is the flag of Isis. If that is not enough, what is it? These justices were arguing that it’s just terrorism and not rebellion,” Duterte said in an ambush interview in Butuan City.
“The terrorist are committing rebellion. The rebels are committing rebellion. Ano ba ang tingin mo? What do you want? That they devour half of Mindanao before we call it a true blue rebellion? It’s crazy,” he added.
But the President said he was ready to abide by the high court’s ruling if it should decide to declare his martial law decree as unconstitutional.
“Kung ayaw nila, okay ako,” he said. “Sabihin nila na there is no factual basis then I am ready to order the military to withdraw and we will not move. Sila diyan (SC) kung kaya nila.”
“Kung sabihin nila na maghinto ako, I will order the military, will tell the military to withdraw,” he added.
The President, however, said he would be forced to declare another martial law if “rebellion burns Mindanao and the other parts of the Philippines.”
“This time I will do it on my own to preserve the nation,” he said. “I will not consult anybody and there is no telling when it will end.”
He said his martial law “could be a copycat of Marcos.”
President Ferdinand Marcos declared martial law in 1972 and ended it in 1981. /atm