Duterte should abide by the spirit of the law

President Rodrigo Duterte’s campaign against a Daesh-linked terror group has come at the right time. It may be the right thing to do when security is at stake but is it in the spirit of the law? Does it have constitutional sanction? The answer is no but an urgent job has to be done to drive out terrorists. That’s the immediate priority. The prospect of a long period of martial law looms large over the Philippines, if the president has his way and this does not seem right for ordinary people going about their daily lives. Duterte has shown little or no regard for anyone — not even the highest court of land. His ruthless campaign against drugs is well known. Civilians were affected the most. Thousands were killed. Human rights were dumped on a whim. Yet, the problem persists. But the president has remained popular and believes he is the man to get the dirty work done. It’s a clean up he enjoys, all for the sake of security. By giving the military full powers to go and search any house, he is handing over powers to them, which could be misused. The country’s Supreme Court has expressed reservation. Duterte should pay heed. By saying the highest court doesn’t truly understand what’s happening on the ground, Duterte is fuelling a constitutional crisis. He needs to take congressmen and the parliament with him through legal channels, and not sideline their opinion.

While many Filipinos are enthusiastic, they are nervous, too, for their own safety. The Philippines suffered gravely in the past under the draconian regime of the dictator Ferdinand Marcos. Which is why the country revised its constitution in 1987 to prescribe limits on martial law to prevent a repeat of such abuses. Duterte reminds many of Marcos. The current siege in Mindanao raises concerns for many who go by the law. “Until the police and the armed forces say the Philippines is safe, this martial law will continue. I will not listen to others,” Duterte told soldiers on Saturday. Such statements are troubling. While law and order must be restored, the president must ensure there is minimum collateral damage and minimum loss of life.