Chief Justice Maria Lourdes P.A. Sereno reminded the government yesterday to avoid the atrocities committed when Martial Law was declared by President Ferdinand E. Marcos in 1972.
Sereno said that avoiding these atrocities will enable the government to reap the benefits of implementing Martial Law according to the 1987 Constitution.
“The fears stoked by the terms ‘Martial Law’ and ‘suspension of the Writ of Habeas Corpus’ are therefore not surprising. But we must remember that these apprehensions were created by former President Marcos and the Martial Law that followed his 1972 declaration,” Sereno said in a speech during the commencement exercises at the Ateneo de Manila University in Quezon City.
“If President Duterte and the aforementioned government authorities avoid the gross historical sins of Mister Marcos and his agents, then our country might reap the benefits of the legitimate use of the provisions on Martial Law in the 1987 Constitution,” Sereno, an Ateneo Economics graduate in 1980, said.
Sereno said the powers to declare Martial Law and suspend the privilege of the Writ of Habeas Corpus are expressly granted to President Duterte under the Constitution. (Jeffrey G. Damicog)
