(Eagle News) — Voting 12-9, the Senate on Tuesday night junked the resolution of the minority bloc requesting a joint session to review and revoke the martial declaration in Mindanao.
The 12 senators who voted to junk the minority bloc’s resolution are the following:
1. Sonny Angara
2. Nancy Binay
3. JV Ejercito
4. Richard Gordon
5. Gringo Honasan
6. Panfilo Lacson
7. Loren Legarda
8. Manny Pacquiao
9. Vicente “Tito” Sotto III
10. Cynthia Villar
11. Miguel Zubiri, and
12. Senate President Aquilino “Koko” Pimentel III.
The members of the Senate who voted for the resolution for a joint session are the following:
1. Paolo Benigno “Bam” Aquino IV,
2. Franklin Drilon,
3. Francis “Chiz” Escudero,
4. Sherwin Gatchalian,
5. Risa Hontiveros,
6. Francis “Kiko” Pangilinan,
7. Grace Poe,
8. Ralph Recto, and
9. Antonio Trillanes IV
Members of the Senate minority bloc previously filed Senate Resolution 390 calling for the joint session, noting the need for a venue for the public to better understand the President’s declaration of martial law.
The 1987 Philippine Constitution, under Article VII, Section 18, states Congress may revoke the martial law proclamation “voting jointly, by a vote of at least a majority of all its members in regular or special session.”
“It is incumbent upon the Senate and the House of Representatives to conduct a joint session for the purpose of determining the constitutional and factual validity of the proclamation, of preventing abuses in its implementation, and ensuring the safety of the people of Marawi and the whole of Mindanao,” the minority bloc said.
“I am for the revocation of martial law because my impression [from] the briefing was that the Armed Forces is capable [of] defeating the Maute threat even without martial law,” said Hontiveros.
Drilon, another minority senator, said that he wanted President Rodrigo Duterte to call off his declaration of martial law in Mindanao after they heard the presentation of defense officials who allegedly said they were confident they could crush the Maute group even without the proclamation.
“In the briefing yesterday with the security adviser, apparently, the lawlessness can be resolved within a week; so revoking it next week may already be necessary because of the continued harm that the martial law imposition that has brought on us,” Drilon said.
Senate President Pimentel said the holding of the joint session was not mandatory, especially since the majority of the senators and lawmakers felt there was a need for the martial law declaration because of the seriousness of the Islamist terrorists’ threat in the country.
“In my opinion the Constitution does not make the holding of the joint session mandatory. It’s a judgement call on the part of each house whether it wants to invite the other house for a joint session. And that will most likely happen if the prevailing sentiment within that house is for the revocation of the proclamation of marital law,” Pimentel said.
The senators were briefed Monday night by National Security Adviser Hermogenes Esperon, Jr. and Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana on the attack by ISIS-inspired Maute group in Marawi City, which prompted the declaration of martial law.
The Senate also adopted on Tuesday night an amended resolution that emphasized there would be no revocation of President Duterte’s declaration of martial law in Mindanao at the moment.
Seventeen senators–all from the majority bloc— adopted Senate Resolution no. 388, which incorporated amendments introduced by Senator Francis Escudero. (Eagle News Service with a PNA report)