MANILA — The Supreme Court (SC) ordered state lawyers representing the military to submit copies of its periodic reports on the implementation of martial law in Mindanao.
In its resolution dated Jan. 22, the High Court ordered the Office of the Solicitor General “to submit no later than 12 noon on Friday, January 25, 2019, the Department of National Defense’s Monthly/Periodic Reports addressed to the Congress on the implementation of Martial Law from January 1, 2018 to December 31, 2018 which involve highly sensitive and confidential matters affecting the security of the State.”
The court explained that members of the Court will then “make a preliminary assessment whether or not the said reports may only be appropriately discussed and deliberated upon in an executive session”.
Meanwhile, a fourth group purportedly representing indigenous groups on Wednesday filed a petition challenging the extension of martial law in Mindanao.
In a 13-page petition, the petitioners, through the Free legal Assistance Group (FLAG) led by human rights lawyer Jose Manuel Diokno also asked the Court to issue a temporary restraining order (TRO) not only to enjoin the implementation of Proclamation 216 but also to direct the police and the military to cease and desist from continuing with its alleged militarization of areas where IP schools are located, the forcible closure of IP schools, and the harassment of teachers and students.
The High Court is set to hold an oral argument on the three other consolidated petitions that were filed earlier by various groups also seeking to declare as unconstitutional the third extension of martial law in Mindanao on January 29.
