There would have been others who would have saved the Republic of the Philippines and we would have followed the Constitution," Pimentel said. "Ang feeling ni President Marcos siguro (I think President Marcos felt) only he could save the country. But Senate Minority Leader Aquilino "Koko" Pimentel III pointed out that other presidents fought the rebels without going beyond their constitutional term limits. He said it was necessary due to the threat of communist insurgency. But in 1986, Enrile turned his back on the President and took part in the People Power revolution that ousted the Marcos regime.Įnrile now serves under Marcos' son and namesake and is defending the declaration of martial law. He said he wrote all documents on martial law and implemented it as defense minister when Marcos placed the entire country under military rule five decades ago. The 98-year-old former Senate President said he has lived through different charters, and found the 1935 Constitution "brief, simple, easy to understand." He also favors the return of the 1973 Constitution which provided for a modified parliamentary form of government.Įnrile recalled that when he was Justice Secretary, then President Marcos ordered him to study presidential powers as commander-in-chief of the Armed Forces. Gamitin mo ang kamay na bakal," Enrile said. "Ang sinasabi ng 1935 Constitution at 1973 Constitution, 'pag nakita mo na at nachecheck mo sa sarili mong desisyon na ang bansa mo ay namemeligro na sasalakayin o wawasakin ng insurekto o ng rebelyon gumalaw ka na. The power of the President was absolute," he said.Įnrile also shared veteran lawyer Estelito Mendoza's sentiment that the "imminent danger" prerequisite for martial law should not have been removed from the Constitution. "Nung dineclare namin ang martial law, simple lang (When we declared martial law, the terms were simple). "Ginulo nila ang martial law provision (They messed with the martial law provision)," Enrile lamented during the Senate's fifth hearing on charter change. Marcos, told the Senate committee on constitutional amendments on Wednesday that one problem with the current charter is it weakened the President's powers in declaring martial law. Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, September 21) - For Chief President Legal Counsel Juan Ponce Enrile, the 1987 Constitution should be scrapped.Įnrile, who served as defense minister to the late dictator Ferdinand E.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |