PHILIPPINE Vice President Leni Robredo on Monday, September 21, warned Filipinos about attempts to revise history as the country marked the 48th anniversary of the declaration of martial law under late dictator Ferdinand E. Marcos. “Maraming pinahirapan, naglaho, at pinatay noong Martial Law; lumobo ang utang ng bayan na binabayaran natin hanggang sa ngayon; lumalim…
President Rodrigo Duterte will no longer ask Congress to extend martial law in Mindanao, presidential spokesperson Salvador Panelo said Tuesday, December 10. According to him, a security assessment showed “the weakening of the terrorist and extremist rebellion” in Mindanao through the arrest and killing of leaders of local terror groups. “The Palace is confident in…
Delisted martial law victims and their relatives on Tuesday, July 9, confronted American lawyer Robert Swift about why they were taken off the official list of people to be awarded compensation after winning the Hawaii class action suit that resulted in a nearly $2-billion award for some 6,000 martial law victims. “We were one of…
Malacañang said martial law victims are entitled to compensation, following a United States federal judge’s approval to transfer the proceeds from the late President Ferdinand Marcos’ ill-gotten assets earlier this week. New York City district court Judge Katherine Polk Failla on Tuesday, April 9 signed the order that mandates the transfer of $13.75 million (P715…
The Supreme Court (SC) on Tuesday, February 19, junked four petitions challenging the constitutionality of the martial law extension in Mindanao. The legality of the extension was upheld by the justices in session with a voting of 9-4. The petitions against the third extension were from opposition lawmakers led by Albay Rep. Edcel Lagman, the…
President Rodrigo Duterte’s third extension of martial law in Mindanao is once again being challenged before the Supreme Court. A group of opposition lawmakers comprised of Reps. Carlos Zarate (Bayan Muna partylist), Emmi De Jesus and Arlene Brosas (Gabriela partylist), Ariel Casilao (Anakpawis partylist), Antonio Tinio and France Castro (ACT Teachers partylist) and Sarah Elago…
The Supreme Court justices decided to hold its oral arguments on the third extension of martial law in Mindanao on January 22 and 23 in response to the petition filed last week by the group led by Albay Representative Edcel Lagman. The opposition group led by Lagman included lawmakers who challenged the necessity of extending…
PHIlIPPINE President Rodrigo Duterte urged the two legislative chambers — the Senate and the House of Representatives — to extend martial law in Mindanao until the end of 2019. In a letter addressed to Senate President Vicente “Tito” Sotto III and House Speaker Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo dated December 6, Duterte noted that it is still necessary…
Armed Forces Chief Gen. Carlito Galvez Jr. on Monday, December 3, announced the military is set to recommend another year of martial law in Mindanao. He cited the need to quell terrorists still “lurking” on the island. According to Galvez, the “clamor” of local government officials in Mindanao, regional peace and order councils and the…
Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) Secretary Eduardo Año on Tuesday, November 6, expressed his approval of the extension of martial law in Mindanao as he noted that the residents under it were in favor. “Based on the feedback of the people of Mindanao, I would rather opt for another extension,” he told reporters…
Recent conflict alert report released on Tuesday, October 2, showed that Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte’s declaration of martial law helped lessen violence in the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) by discouraging armed groups from bringing out their weapons. Senior Peace and Conflict Adviser in Asia for International Alert Philippines Francisco Lara Jr. shared the…
AMID the recent commemoration of the atrocities brought by the declaration of Martial Law in 1972, Malacañang on Monday, September 24, refuted the accusations that former senators Juan Ponce Enrile and Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. could twist what transpired in history. Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque said that in order to change the facts on what…
ILOCOS Norte Governor Imee Marcos on Tuesday, August 21 told the public to “move on” amid the 35th anniversary of the assassination of Benigno “Ninoy” Aquino Jr., one of the staunchest critics of her father, former President Ferdinand Marcos. The governor said that the atrocities during Marcos’ regime should not be talked about by people…
It is legally possible for Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte to expand the scope of martial law nationwide, Supreme Court (SC) Associate Justice Antonio Carpio said on Wednesday, January 17. During the resumption of oral arguments on the consolidated petitions against the one-year extension of martial law in Mindanao, Carpio noted that the threat posed by…
As the Philippine Supreme Court (SC) this week began its oral arguments on consolidated petitions objecting the one-year extension of martial law in Mindanao, a magistrate questioned petitioners for supposedly being “paranoid” about the military rule. SC Associate Justice Samuel Martires posed the question following statements from former Solicitor General Florin Hilbay who cited the…
The Court of Appeals (CA) this week upheld its earlier decision dismissing a petition filed by a human rights group seeking an about $2 billion worth of compensation to human rights victims during the term of late strongman Ferdinand Marcos. The CA’s former Twelfth Division on Wednesday, January 3 said it has denied the motion…
PHILIPPiNE Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana on Friday, September 15 said that President Rodrigo Duterte is unlikely to declare a nationwide martial law in response to possible violent demonstrations by leftists across the country. Last week, Duterte threatened that he may place the entire country under martial law if communist rebels “commit the mistake of staging…
The detained father of brothers Abdullah and Omar Maute, who led the attack on Marawi City, passed away on Sunday, August 27, according to the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology (BJMP). BJMP spokesperson and Senior Insp. Xavier Solda said Cayamora Maute, 67, died past 3:00 p.m. in a government hospital after his blood pressure…
