Voting 14-4, Senate grants martial law extension in Mindanao

Majority of senators have voted in favor of President Rodrigo Duterte’s request to extend martial law in Mindanao for one year.

“On the part of the Senate, 14 senators voted in the affirmative, 4 in the negative. No one abstained,” Senate President Aquilino “Koko” Pimentel II said at the joint session of Congress held at the House of Representatives on Wednesday.

The four who were against the extension were Senate Minority Leader Franklin Drilon, and Senators Risa Hontiveros, Francis Pangilinan, and Bam Aquino. They all belong to the Senate minority bloc.

Meanwhile, those who were in favor of the extension were Senate President Aquilino “Koko” Pimentel III, and Senators Sonny Angara, JV Ejercito, Sherwin Gatchalian, Richard Gordon, Gringo Honasan, Panfilo Lacson, Loren Legarda, Grace Poe, Ralph Recto, Vicente Sotto III, Joel Villanueva, Miguel Zubiri, and Nancy Binay.

Senators Francis Escudero and Cynthia Villar were present during the special joint session but were not able to cast their votes.

Senators Manny Pacquiao and Antonio Trillanes IV, on the other hand, were absent during the proceeding.

Congress has convened in a joint session on Wednesday to tackle President Rodrigo Duterte’s request to extend martial law in Mindanao for the entire year of 2018.

Duterte has asked Congress to extend the martial law in Mindanao and the suspension of privilege writ of habeas corpus from January 1, 2018 to Dec. 31, 2018. His request was for the military to wipe out the terrorists in Mindanao.        /kga