(Eagle News) — The National Union of People’s Lawyers on Monday filed a petition challenging the one-year extension of martial law in Mindanao before the Supreme Court.
The petition is the second filed since the extension was granted by Congress, upon the request of President Rodrigo Duterte.
Duterte had cited existing threats in seeking for the extension.
In asking the Supreme Court to declare the extension “null and void,” the NUPL argued that such a declaration “lacks the factual basis required by the Constitution” because there is no actual rebellion in Mindanao.
According to the progressive group, the terrorists in Marawi have already been defeated in the first place.
“The reason why government has failed to explain what specific martial law powers it really needs against the armed groups is because their real agenda is nationwide martial law against critics,” the group argued.
According to the NUPL, “this martial law is nothing more than to give President Duterte broad powers to attack those who disagree with him.”
“We ask members of the legal profession and the Filipino people to oppose martial law and a return to dark days of the Marcos dictatorship,” the group said.
The first petition against the one-year extension of martial law in Mindanao was filed by members of the opposition in the House of Representatives.
The group led by Albay Rep. Edcel Lagman had argued there was “no actual rebellion” that warranted the declaration of martial law.
Lagman’s group said actual rebellion needed to be established before such a declaration was to be made, based on the Constitution.