Press Release
February 7, 2018

STATEMENT ON SC DECISION RE: EXTENSION OF MARTIAL LAW

The political opposition has been quick to brand the Supreme Court ruling, which upheld the validity of the extension of martial law, as the result of a failure of the rule of law. How can this be the case when the strict constitutional checks and balances that regulate the power to extend martial law have been observed in good faith?

The recommendation of the President to extend martial law, the approval of the extension during a joint session of Congress, and the Supreme Court's review of the extension were all conducted exactly as required by the Constitution. At the end of this long deliberative process, the three great branches of government have come to the same conclusion - that the extension of martial law is a just and necessary medicine to cure Mindanao of the violent extremism that has afflicted the island for so long. This is precisely the rule of law at work. The political opposition cannot simply proclaim its failure because they disagree with the result.

In the end, the political battles that rage in the halls of government and on social media must give way to the life-and-death battles being fought by our brave soldiers and policemen on the front lines of the conflict. Therefore, I urge all Filipinos, regardless of political affiliation, to unite behind the government's efforts to defeat the rebellion and eradicate violent extremism. Only a united Filipino nation will be able to win the war and achieve lasting peace in Mindanao.

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