A group of teachers, students, and supporters of the indigenous group Lumad asked the Supreme Court Wednesday to nullify the extension of martial law in Mindanao until the end of this year.
The group’s petition, filed through the Free Legal Assistance Group and the Integrated Bar of the Philippines, was the fourth case against the extension of martial law and the suspension of the privilege of the Writ of Habeas Corpus in Mindanao.
The SC is expected to consolidate the fourth petition with the first three petitions which will be heard in oral arguments starting Tuesday next week.
Earlier, Solicitor General Jose C. Calida – representing both the Executive and the Legislative branches – had asked the SC to dismiss the first petition filed by the group of Albay Rep. Edcel C. Lagman.
In their petition, the Lumad teachers, students, and supporters asked the SC to issue a Temporary Restraining Order. The plea for TRO was also contained in the first three petitions.
“The President’s own report indicates that the situation has improved, not worsened, thus, rendering absent or insufficient any factual bases for the extension of Proclamation No. 216 or a new proclamation of martial law,” they said.
They pointed out that the proclamation on martial law “grants powers that are overbroad and undefined, effectively suspending and curtailing other rights and guarantees under the 1987 Constitution.”
They lamented that martial law in Mindanao should not be extended because “it has resulted in an environment of continued impunity directed against Lumad schools and which have been harassed, intimidated and ‘red tagged.’” (Rey Panaligan)
