(Eagle News)—The Supreme Court has upheld the constitutionality of the third extension of martial law in Mindanao and the suspension of the privilege of writ of habeas corpus there until Dec. 31.
This was after the SC junked the consolidated petitions filed by the camps of Rep. Edcel Lagman, Bayan Muna partylist Rep. Carlos Zarate, Christian Monsod and Rius Valle challenging the legality of such.
According to an SC statement, those who voted to junk the petitions were Chief Justice Lucas Bersamin, and Justices Diosdado Peralta, Mariano del Castillo, Estela Perlas-Bernabe, Andres Reyes Jr., Alexander Gesmundo, Jose Reyes Jr., Paul Hernando and Rosmari Carandang.
Senior Associate Justice Antonio Carpio and Justices Marvic Leonen, Francis Jardeleza and Alfredo Caguioa voted to grant the petitions.
Earlier, Congress approved the third extension of martial law in Mindanao and the suspension of the privilege of writ of habeas corpus there as requested by President Rodrigo Duterte.
The executive had cited the need to sustain the gains from the previous impositions of martial law there, and the need to continue the fight against terrorists including the Abu Sayyaf, Daulah Islamiyah and the New People’s Army.
Martial law was first imposed in Mindanao in May 2017, after Maute terrorists overran Marawi in a supposed bid to establish an Islamic caliphate in Southeast Asia.Moira Encina