Joint session vote on martial law on Dec. 15 – Nograles

Whether Congress will revoke the declaration of martial law in Maguindanao will be known Tuesday once the members of the Senate and the Lower House vote on the issue, House Speaker Prospero Nograles said Friday. In a statement, Nograles said he expects the two chambers of Congress to finish discussions on Proclamation 1959 when they resume their joint session on Monday. President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo issued the proclamation last December 4, placing most parts of Maguindanao under martial law and suspending the writ of habeas corpus over most parts of the province. “We cannot debate on this issue until eternity," Nograles said. “If we can muster the quorum next week we can end the debates and vote possibly on Tuesday. I think by Monday the issue of necessity of declaration of martial law will be clearly joined and ripe for voting." The two chambers of Congress held a joint session on Wednesday and Thursday to discuss whether they will revoke President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo's declaration of martial law in Maguindanao. It was the first time in Philippine history that the Senate and the House met in joint session to decide on martial law. President Arroyo's declaration itself was also a historic first since the late strongman Ferdinand Marcos placed the entire country under martial law in 1972 using the provisions of the earlier 1935 constitution. For two days, members of Congress took turns to question Cabinet members and top Armed Forces and police officials regarding the legal basis and actual conduct of Proclamation 1959. The two chambers combined now have less than 10 hours left to further grill the said officials on the floor next week, since the rules for the joint session require that the Senate and the House will be allotted a maximum of 10 hours each to interpellate. [See: Officials back on hot seat as Congress resumes joint session] "I notice that the questions appear to be similar but couched in different angles but the bottom line remains the same," Nograles said. "We are called upon to examine a presidential judgment call on a given situation of lawlessness and or rebellion. The question is simply whether this declaration was necessary or not. All other political considerations should not even be considered."
For the latest Philippine news stories and videos, visit GMANews.TV President Arroyo issued Proclamation 1959 nearly two weeks after the gruesome November 23 massacre wherein at least 57 people, including 30 journalists, were brutally killed by armed men believed to be under the command of members of the Ampatuan clan, the most powerful political family in Maguindanao. Datu Unsay town mayor Andal Ampatuan Jr., a prime suspect in the massacre, had been detained and charged with 25 counts of multiple murder even before the declaration of martial law in the province, prompting critics to brand Proclamation 1959 as an "overkill."
For the latest Philippine news stories and videos, visit GMANews.TV During the joint session of Congress, several lawmakers also questioned the proclamation's constitutionality, saying none of the preconditions for the declaration of martial law--invasion or rebellion--existed in the province prior to the declaration. [See: Miriam slams martial law in Maguindanao] Officials led by Executive Secretary Eduardo Ermita, however, maintained that the Ampatuans' hold over the province, which was most manifest in the existence of private armies purportedly working for the powerful clan, prevents the government from enforcing the law and thus qualifies as rebellion. - Johanna Camille Sisante, GMANews.TV