maute

Sen. Bam Aquino on Marawi City and the Death of Isnilon Hapilon and Omar Maute

Binabati natin ang matatapang na miyembro ng Armed Forces sa kanilang pagtuldok sa paghahasik ng lagim at terorismo nina Isnilon Hapilon at Omar Maute.

The country is now a safer place for all Filipinos.

With this victory, we hope that the firefighting will soon end so the government can immediately lift Martial Law and finally focus on rebuilding and developing Marawi City.

As member of the Special Committee on Marawi City Rehabilitation, we fully support efforts to rehabilitate Marawi City and to bring normalcy and prosperity into the lives of Maranao families.

Sen. Bam: Joint session is Congress’ duty

Sen. Bam Aquino insisted that convening a joint session is a duty of Congress and a means to promote welfare of the Filipino people by enlightening them about details behind the declaration of Martial Law in Mindanao.

 “It is part of our constitutional requirement and important for the public to be able to listen for themselves kung ano ang sasabihin ng security managers,” said Sen. Bam during Tuesday night’s discussion on the minority group’s Senate Resolution 390, which urges Congress to hold a joint session on the declaration of Martial Law in Mindanao.

“During a joint session, iyong ibang pinag-usapan natin during an executive session, kung bakit nagdeklara ng Martial Law, kung ano ang plano at kung hanggang kailan ang hangganan, puwede iyong marinig ng taumbayan,” said Sen. Bam.

 As representatives of the people, Sen. Bam said it is the duty of lawmakers to inform the public details of important issues affecting their lives and the country.

 “The people need to know what it is we also know as much as possible, without breaching any national security matter,” the senator said, adding that Congress must follow its constitutional mandate whatever the outcome of the vote.

 In an earlier interview, Sen. Bam emphasized that a joint session will give security managers a chance to enlighten the public about the situation and address misinformation and fake news circulating online at the same time.

“The people are contradicting each other. Agencies are contradicting each other in terms of facts and in terms of what’s really happening. We need to hear it straight from the security managers,” Sen. Bam pointed out.

 Nine senators voted in favor of the resolution while 12 voted against it. Aside from Sen. Bam, those who voted in favor were Sens. Franklin Drilon, Chiz Escudero, Sherwin Gatchalian, Risa Hontiveros, Francis Pangilinan, Grace Poe, Ralph Recto and Antonio Trillanes.

Those who voted against it were Senators Sonny Angara, Nancy Binay, JV Ejercito, Richard Gordon, Gregorio Honasan, Panfilo Lacson, Loren Legarda, Manny Pacquiao, Tito Sotto, Cynthia Villar, Juan Miguel Zubiri and Senate President Aquilino Pimentel III.

Sen. Bam: No shortcuts, call joint session

A senator called on his fellow lawmakers to avoid shortcuts and follow the Constitution by calling a joint session to tackle the declaration of Martial Law in Mindanao.

“Ang AFP, ayaw natin mag-shortcut, ang PNP ayaw nating mag-shortcut. Bakit tayo mag-so-short cut?” said Sen. Bam Aquino during the minority bloc’s press conference discussing their resolution urging the Senate to call for a joint session.

 “Hindi tayo puwedeng mag-shortcut. Iyong mga shortcut, ito ang nagdudulot ng masasamang bagay sa bansa natin,” he added.

 Under the Constitution, Sen. Bam also stressed that Congress is mandated to call a joint session, based on the precedent during former president Gloria Arroyo’s declaration of Martial Law in Maguindanao in 2009.

 “A joint session is needed so that people can hear for themselves what the security managers were able to brief to us,” Sen. Bam said in an earlier television interview Tuesday.

 The senator said a joint session will give security managers a chance to enlighten the public about the situation and address misinformation and fake news circulating online at the same time.

“The people are contradicting each other. Agencies are contradicting each other in terms of facts and in terms of what’s really happening. We need to hear it straight from the security managers,” Sen. Bam pointed out.

 Sen. Bam said the security managers assured that normalcy in Marawi City will be restored in the next few days but it is crucial for the “people to hear that themselves”.

 During the briefing, Sen. Bam got the assurance from the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) that it will uphold human rights while Mindanao is under Martial Law.

 Despite the AFP’s assurance, Sen. Bam underscored the need for vigilance against any abuse that might occur until normalcy returns to the area, which the AFP committed to achieve in the following days.

Once the government quells the threats in Marawi, Sen. Bam said the government must lift Martial Law immediately and focus on restoring normalcy and developing in the area.

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