Duterte: Martial law 'not feasible'
- President Rodrigo Duterte on Thursday, June 7, reiterated that he will not declare martial law, saying it is "not feasible" and would not work.
He said martial law will only "divide the nation."
"Martial law is not feasible. It won't work, It won't work. First of all, it's going to be a divided nation. I don't know if everybody will agree with you. It's going to divide the nation," Duterte said when asked whether martial law is among the "radical changes" that he is planning to implement to address rising crime incidence in the country and corruption in government on top of the rampant illegal drugs trade.
Rather than allow oppression, the President said he would focus on letting the Filipino enjoy "free speech to the fullest."
"[I] might think of something else, except martial law," Duterte said.
"We had already the experience of [Marcos dictatorship]. What really made it so unpopular was the abuses committed, unbridled, unfettered. That cannot happen in my time. I will not simply allow it," he added.
Martial law is in effect over Mindanao as an offshoot of the five-month armed conflict that devastated Marawi City. Martial law has been extended until the end of 2018.
The entire country, meanwhile, is still under a state of national emergency, which the President declared in September 2016 following the bombing in Davao. This has not been lifted.
The President was interviewed after the inaugural ceremony for the Mactan Cebu International Airport Terminal 2 in Lapu-Lapu City, Cebu on Thursday.
He had said that he plans to transfer supervision of some government agencies to the Office of the President.
"There might [be radical changes in government offices] which are prone to corruption that will be placed directly under the Office of the President," Dutete repeated.
He declined to identify the agencies out of respect for the Cabinet members involved.
Duterte said he would announce the names of these agencies during the next Cabinet meeting.
Duterte's statement came a day after he announced that he would implement reforms because of the "problematic" offices in government and "too many crimes" in the country.
In a bid to address criminality, illegal drugs, and corruption in government, Duterte on Wednesday, June 6, said he would use his executive powers "to the hilt."
Earlier Thursday, Presdiential Spokesperson Harry Roque Jr. said Duterte's intent to implement "radical changes" in the coming days stemmed from the latter's frustration over the spate of criminality in the country.
Roque also said that Duterte wanted to exert "serious efforts" in ensuring law and order. SunStar Philippines