SC upholds declaration of martial law
The Supreme Court (SC) on Tuesday upheld President Rodrigo Duterte’s declaration of martial law in the whole of Mindanao after the ISIS-inspired Maute terrorist group took over Marawi City, intending to make it a caliphate.
MB FILE – Supreme Court (Photo courtesy of Wikipedia | Manila Bulletin)
With a vote of 11-3-1 the SC upheld the President’s decision, which was supposedly based on the need to quell a rebellion.
No details of the ruling like who wrote the decision, who concurred, who voted to grant partially, and who voted to grant the petitions were announced by SC Spokesman Theodore O. Te.
In his press briefer, Te said:
“In the matter of the consolidated petitions…, the Court dismissed the petitions by a vote of 11 of its members; three members voted to partially grant the petitions, and one member voted to grant the petitions.
“All 15 justices have submitted their respective opinions, whether concurring or dissenting. All opinions will be submitted by tomorrow.”
It can be recalled that more than a month ago, Duterte, who was then on an official visit to Russia, cut short his trip and en route to the country, declared martial law after learning of the supposed uprising.
The declaration of martial law in the whole of Mindanao was questioned by many, claiming that it was “baseless” and was just a “knee-jerk” response to a situation that critics deemed was already under the control of the AFP.
Over the last few weeks, after a petition was filed to declare void the declaration of martial law, the SC has set to make a ruling on Tuesday, with the whole country anxiously awaiting the result.