PRESIDENT Rodrigo Duterte has no plan to declare martial rule nationwide, Malacañang maintained on Tuesday, February 26.

"Certainly not," Presidential Spokesperson Salvador Panelo said, when asked if Duterte is inclined to declare martial law after former President Benigno Aquino III raised concerns about the seeming return of nationwide martial rule.

Aquino, whose family is the political rival of the Marcos clan, said on Saturday, February 23, that some of the Duterte government's recent proposals remind him of the Marcos regime.

Aquino brought up the creation of the Department of Human Settlements and Urban Development and the plan to change the Philippines's name to "Maharlika."

Under the Marcos regime, there was a Ministry of Human Settlements headed by former first lady Imelda Marcos.

The "Maharlika" term was used by the former dictator as fake name for a guerilla unit during the Second World War.

"Tila nagbabalik 'yung mga ugali at pamamaraan na atin pong nilabanan na noong panahon ng kadiliman ng batas militar. Ngayon ho, kumbaga, baka na-detour tayo. Nasa sa atin na po 'yan kung itong detour na ito ay lumalim nang lumalim," Aquino said.

(It seems that we're going back to the style and ways of the regime that we fought against in the dark days of martial law. Now, it seems that we are taking a detour. It's up to us if we keep going deeper into this detour.)

Asked if there was truth to Aquino's statement, Panelo said: "Certainly not."

"Baka noon (Perhaps, they want that) when they're still in power. They want to do that but they were not able to do it. Kaya siguro inaakusahan nila si President (That's probably why they're accusing the President)," he added. (SunStar Philippines)