MANILA — Solicitor General Jose Calida on Thursday said anyone is free to challenge the Congress’ approval of President Rodrigo Duterte’s request for a one-year extension of martial law in Mindanao, adding that he wishes them luck.
“The extension of martial law in the whole of Mindanao, having been approved overwhelmingly by Congress, underscores the factual basis of the ongoing rebellion. To those who intend to challenge the extension of martial law before the Supreme Court, I wish you luck. You’ll need it,” Calida posted on his Twitter account.
The top government counsel’s remarks came after Congress, voting jointly 240-27, approved on Wednesday the President’s request to extend the martial law and suspend the writ of habeas corpus in Mindanao from January 1, 2018 to December 31, 2018.
On May 23, Duterte declared martial law over Mindanao following the attack by Maute terrorists in Marawi City for 60 days.
In a joint session in July, the Congress, voting 261-18, extended martial law in Mindanao until Dec. 31, 2017.
Earlier this month, the Supreme Court (SC) upheld with finality its ruling on the legality of the measure.
The SC’s 82-page landmark decision, penned by Associate Justice Mariano Del Castillo, said that the 1987 Constitution grants Duterte the prerogative to put any part of the country under martial rule.
“There is no constitutional edict that martial law should be confined only in the particular place where the armed public uprising actually transpired,” the SC declared. (Christopher Lloyd Caliwan/PNA)
