■ HIGH TRUST, APPROVAL RATES FOR DUTERTE
President Rodrigo Duterte was the most approved and most trusted government official, based on the December survey by pollster Pulse Asia. Duterte earned approval and trust scores of 80 percent and 82 percent, respectively, based on the survey conducted from Dec. 10 to 15. Only seven percent “disapproved” Duterte’s performance while six percent had “small or no trust” in him. He enjoyed the highest approval score of 93 percent in Mindanao. The poll also showed that Duterte’s trust rating was highest in Mindanao (94 percent). Vice President Leni Robredo and Senate President Aquilino Pimentel III also enjoyed high approval and trust scores at the national level.
Opposition lawmakers, the National Union of People’s Lawyers and activists have asked the Supreme Court (SC) to nullify the one-year martial law extension in Mindanao.
In their petition, the NUPL, members of the so-called Makabayan bloc in the House of Representatives, and human rights advocates and activists said there is “no factual nor legal basis” that would warrant the martial law extension for another year as the siege in Marawi had already been resolved.
They said the martial law extension “is actually a threat against dissenters and activists than armed rebels.” The Makabayan bloc is composed of Kabataan Rep. Sarah Elago, ACT Teachers Rep. Antonio Tinio and Fransisca Castro, Gabriela Women’s Party Rep. Emmi de Jesus and Arlene Brosas, Anakpawis Rep. Ariel Casilao and Bayan Muna Party-list Rep. Carlos Isagani Zarate.
Malacañang, in reaction to the petition, expressed optimism that it can defend the legality of the one-year extension of martial law in Mindanao.
Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque Jr. said the Senate and the House of Representatives had found “factual and legal” grounds to extend martial law until December 31, 2018.
“We can certainly defend martial law as it has been reviewed already by both houses of Congress. And both houses of Congress, voting jointly, concluded that there is both factual and legal basis,” Roque said.
“Two branches of government have already ruled that martial law is constitutional and we’re confident that the Philippine government, the executive, can defend this position in the Supreme Court as well,” he added.
President Rodrigo Duterte first declared martial law in the entire Mindanao on May 23, 2017, shortly after fighting broke out between the government troops and the Islamic State-inspired Maute Group in Marawi City.
Military rule is allowed under the 1987 Constitution for 60 days. Congress, however, extended martial law until the end of 2017 and further to December 31, 2018, despite the end of the armed conflict in Marawi.
The petitioners noted that it is clear that the Constitution stated that the Congress can only extend the proclamation if invasion and rebellion persist that so requires public safety.
Furthermore, the lawmakers argued that the extension cannot be imposed as the Constitution only allows a 60-day extension on the original declaration, and the same has already expired last December.
They added that “using the pre-existing armed struggle of the CPP-NPA-NDF ( Communist Party of the Philippines, New People’s Army and the National Democratic Front) to justify martial law’s extension does not cure the fatal flaw of the absence of sufficient factual bases since the protracted armed conflict was not a ground in the original proclamation 216.”
The petitioners asked the court to conduct an inclusive and factual determination of probable cause and issue a temporary restraining order to halt the imposition of the said declaration.