Duterte’s martial law remarks aim to deter critics—Lagman

Albay Rep. Edcel Lagman. INQUIRER.net FILE PHOTO

A minority lawmaker on Thursday said imposing martial law should not be an option that President Rodrigo Duterte can just voice out whenever he wants to, in spite of what he called widespread violence and worsening drug menace in the country.

“The threat of declaring martial law is not an option which President Duterte can brandish about. The threat is a virtual sword of Damocles looming over the heads of even the legitimate political dissenters, oppositionists and activists. Perils endanger even the best of intentions,” Albay Rep. Edcel Lagman said in a statement.

At a dinner with Palace reporters on Tuesday, Duterte said he was not keen on imposing martial law but added that it could be a “contingency” measure “to meet widespread violence” in the country. In a speech before the Jewish community in Makati last month, the President also admitted that there were instances that he was tempted to declare martial law due to the drug problem.

READ: Duterte: Martial law a contingency to meet widespread violence

Duterte’s latest mention of martial rule followed a pronouncement that he might opt to suspend the privilege of the writ of habeas corpus should lawlessness escalate.

READ: Duterte warns of suspension of habeas corpus writ

But Lagman, one of the petitioners against Duterte’s order to bury the late dictator Ferdinand Marcos at the Libingan ng mga Bayani, said the President’s bringing up of martial law was aimed at deterring critics of the administration rather than suppressing violence.

“It is not to quell the violence which no less than the administration has fomented, encouraged and condoned like the unabated extrajudicial killings of criminal suspects related to the deadly anti-drug campaign. It is more to instill fear to dissuade people from expressing even constructive criticism,” the lawmaker said.

“A thoughtless articulation of possible suspension of the privilege of the writ of habeas corpus or declaration of martial law must be recanted unconditionally to quash the catastrophic alarm which it has provoked,” Lagman added.

Communications Secretary Martin Andanar said Duterte’s repeated mention of authoritarian rule would be a “last resort” in case of uncontrollable violence, while Presidential Spokesperson Ernesto Abella said the President was just “underlining our awareness and necessary consciousness of the growing impunity” in Mindanao. RAM/rga