I’m not enamored with martial law powers: Duterte

July 21, 2017

President Rodrigo Duterte said on Friday he is not obsessed with martial law, contrary to accusation against him by the communist rebels. In a speech during the Davao Investment Conference in Davao City, Duterte said he should not be compared with late President Ferdinand Marcos who placed the entire Philippines under martial law for about a decade. "I am not enamored with that martial law powers. I am not obsessed with that. You suspect me just like Marcos...why do you have to refer me Marcos?," Duterte said. "History has judged him (Marcos) little by little throughout the years. You judge me on my own. I've been mayor here for 23 years. I never stole one peso here. I have won all my elections here with a whopping majority until the presidency. I never stole anything here," Duterte stressed. Communist Party of the Philippines founder Jose Maria Sison has accused Duterte of being obsessed with martial law. He also reportedly said Duterte was using the NPA as a scapegoat like what Marcos did when he declared martial law in 1972. Duterte said he did not want to perpetuate to power like what Marcos did when he stayed in Malacanang for about two decades. "I am 72 years old, what would I do with the money that I would steal? For example, the equal amount that was lost was 37 billion. What would I do with it? Wipe it on my ass? How many years do you think I can enjoy life?," he said. He added if he wants to be a dictator, what he has to do is to follow Marcos' template. "And, just to remind you, these who have no brain, the coward, 'Martial law, martial law. It will create dictatorship.' You know, if I want to be a dictator, all I have to do is to be in good graces with the military and the police. All I have to do is to promote them all to general, and I can have an army. When I have the backing of the army and the police, that s*** of paper called 'martial law powers' is really nothing," he said. "That’s what’s happened to us with Marcos. All I have to follow here. I have the template already. All --- you know --- and even --- even in good faith, I'd tell that I have to stay as President for 30 years also, it’s not in the martial law provisions of the Constitution." Duterte has asked Congress to extend the 60-day martial law until December 31 this year to fully quell rebellion in Mindanao. Congress has yet to act on the President's request. In the same speech, Duterte also said if he has his way, he would "destroy" the government amid corruption in the bureaucracy. "I would like to destroy government itself. If I had my way, I would and re-invent something more than just not the powers. We can have less powers but more efficient organization. If there’s an ideal set-up that we can follow, I’d be glad to destroy government and put in place something of a bureaucratic authority that would move by itself automatically without the need of an authority there and an authority here," he said. Celerina Monte/DMS