Alvarez’s proposal

Beware. House Speaker Pantaleon Alvarez wants to extend martial law for five years. He says two months of martial law is too short to address the threats of insurgency and terror in Mindanao; he says five years of military rule is better.

Someone please tell him the meaning of his job as House Speaker is not simply to have him speak out his war-freak mind, his conspiracy theories about the Resorts World attack or his dogged loyalty to the President. His job is to craft laws to help our country move forward.

The shocking thing is that in his first year as President Duterte’s House Speaker, Congress only passed four laws. This is the lowest performing Congress in the first year under any president.

Laws are supposed to embody the president’s vision. Duterte talks of fighting oligarchy, so laws need to be passed to put teeth on the implementation of the agrarian reform program that would weaken the economic hold in the country of these oligarchs.

There should be laws to help end “Endo.” And where are the laws to make tuition free in state universities or laws increasing teachers’ salaries?

Advancing the peace talks can be done with more House resolutions and involvement with constituents to promote an enabling environment of peace. Also, the President’s vision of federalism seems not to be taking off in the House either.

So what has Congress done in one year? Oh yes, it was busy trying to dig out information about Sen. Leila de Lima’s sex life. It was busy kicking out Gina Lopez from the Department of Environment and Natural Resources and allowing mining companies to destroy the mountains again.

Congress was also busy trying to pry away the social welfare budget from Social Welfare Secretary Judy Taguiwalo. Gosh, this reinforces the meaning of Congress as the opposite of progress.

What I fear about Alvarez is that he speaks not as an honorable congressman but as the sergeant-atarms of Congress, of politicos, of landlords and of the back-slappers and loyal dogs of the President. Is he even sure everyone in Mindanao likes martial law?

Consider the Davao City Chamber of Commerce, one of the institutions backing Duterte. They are saying the declaration is dampening the flow of investments and tourists into the city. Who wants to come to Davao under martial law?

Davao Chamber president Ronald Go notes that combating terror can still be done without martial law as long as strict security protocols and public vigilance are enforced. Even the farmers in Alvarez’s Davao region are complaining that because soldiers are busy enforcing martial law in the countryside, they (farmers) can no longer go out to the farms freely.

Some farmers have been arrested in the Davao region without due process. It’s very much like martial law during Marcos’s time.

I think martial law is just an excuse for Alvarez to cover up his under-performing House. He has blamed the opposition and now he blames rebels for the country’s woes.

The real threat is still there: the oligarchy, the impunity and the business of war and plunder. I guess five years without Alvarez in power is a better proposal.--