President Duterte has declared that he will heed the Supreme Court on its decision regarding the declaration of Martial Law in Mindanao.
Proclamation 216 cited, among others, the supposed occupation of a hospital and the beheading of a police officer, both of which never happened.
"In the exercise of this extreme, special emergency power, the president should not act in solitude because it would affect the multitude", Lagman stressed.
Calida also rebutted the argument of petitioners on lack of recommendation from or consultation with the ranking defense and military authorities as reportedly admitted by Defense Sec.
He pointed out that the petitions were merely based on media reports, which are not accepted as evidence.
We are saturated with news about the military's efforts to neutralize the Maute/Islamic State snipers positioned on top of government buildings and houses and the discovery of millions of pesos from a house abandoned by the terrorist group which showed that they are well funded to wage war and keep out the troops from Marawi City.
The OSG claimed that the extremists' plan was to torch Marawi on May 26, the start of Ramadan, as a signal to other supposed uprisings across Mindanao.
Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana and Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) Chief of Staff Eduardo Año are facing the Supreme Court today.
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While Proclamation 216 only cites rebellion as a basis for martial law, Solicitor General Jose Calida later claimed the Maute "rebellion" had "transmogrified" into a foreign invasion, citing the presence of extremists from overseas who were among the gunmen fighting government forces in Marawi.
In connection with this, we invite the public to step up and demand the resumption of the peace process between the National Democratic Front of the Philippines (NDFP) and the Government of the Republic of the Philippines (GRP) in recognition of the fact that, because of the declaration of martial law, the military operations that followed served to sabotage the peace talks, putting on the line the democratic interest of the Filipino people, especially those who belong to the most impoverished places in the country like Lanao del Sur.
The Constitution also empowers the Supreme Court to review the factual basis of the President's declaration of martial law.
Lawyer Marlon Manuel, representing the Marawi residents, stressed that the 1987 Constitution explicitly describes martial law as "an instrument of last resort".
The top government counsel branded the attacks in Marawi as ISIS-inspired that warranted the implementation of martial law and suspension of the writ of habeas corpus to ensure public safety.
"As long as there is martial law and unrest in Marawi City, the "independence" of our nation is a farce", said Bishop Arturo Bastes of Sorsogon.
President Rodrigo Roa Duterte issued Proclamation No. 216, on May 23 declaring a state of martial law and suspending the privilege of the writ of habeas corpus in the whole of Mindanao.
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