Sen. Bam Aquino addressed the Senate and insisted that Martial Law will never be a solution to the pressing problems of the country.

“Hindi naging sagot ang Martial Law noon, at lalong hindi siya sagot ngayon,” said Sen. Bam in his privilege speech. “Malubha pa rin ang sakit ng taumbayan, at lalong tumitindi ang kahirapan.”

In nine years under Martial Law, Sen. Bam said there were 3,320 victims of extrajudicial killings, 34,000 cases of torture, 70,000 cases of illegal detention, 75,730 cases of human rights violations and debt of around P395 billion, which is equivalent to more than P3 trillion in today’s money.

“Hanggang ngayon, binabayaran pa rin natin ang utang ng Marcos Regime, habang pumipila ang mga Pilipino para sa bigas na may bukbok at nalulunod po sa gastos ang napakaraming mahihirap na pamilya,” Sen. Bam said.

Sen. Bam said Martial Law is not the solution to the country’s pressing problems, including high prices of food, such as rice, and rampant killings of local officials, priests and even young people.

“Kawalan ng epektibong plano, kawalan ng political will, at kawalan ng puso ng mga lingkod bayan at puso para sa mahihirap ang mga sanhi ng krisis natin ngayon,” said Sen. Bam.

“Ngunit hindi Martial Law ang sagot dito, at mas lalong hindi ang isang diktadura,” Sen. Bam pointed out, adding that the government must simply act on the concerns of the Filipinos to solve these problems.

Sen. Bam has filed Senate Bill No. 1798 or the Bawas Presyo Bill, which aims to suspend the excise tax on fuel under the TRAIN Law when the average inflation rate surpasses the annual inflation target over a three-month period.

According to Sen. Bam, the immediate passage of the law will also stop the scheduled P2 additional excise tax on petroleum products under the TRAIN Law in January 2019.