MARTIAL law in the Visayas? Anything is possible. With 17 senators, all but a few congressmen and public opinion solidly behind him, President Duterte can do anything he wants.
But I hope it won’t come to that. There isn’t any need for it, at least as of now. The Maute group has been cornered in an increasingly narrowing section of Marawi. The feared spillover of the conflict to other areas of Mindanao has not happened.
If there are threats to our security, the President can adequately address that without having to impose martial law. The presidency is vested with awesome powers under the constitution to confront any enemy of the State. He is the commander-in-chief of the armed forces even in ordinary times. He can summon our soldiers and policemen and order them to mount military offensives to promote public safety and order.
u2022••
If you’re a basketball fan and you’re excited to watch the National Basketball Association finals between the Cleveland Cavaliers and the Golden State Warriors starting tomorrow, you better make sure you have the right cable provider.
I subscribe to Sky Cable and have paid extra for its NBA premium channel because I wanted to watch the games of my beloved Los Angeles Lakers. (Stop smirking, yes, I’m a long-suffering loyal Lakers fan).
But I still look forward to watching the finals, partly to torment my friends who have sold their souls to Lebron James or to Steph Curry and partly to scout my beloved Lakers’ possible championship opponents next year. (I told you I’m a hopeless optimist). However, it’s becoming clear that I will not be able to get that chance tomorrow and the next playing dates when the two teams battle for the coveted four wins.
Unless I ditch Sky Cable and switch to Cignal or Dream, which is what I’d probably do today. An Inquirer story yesterday said Cignal and Dream are allowed to air the NBA finals this year. Sky Cable is not.
It has, as you must have guessed, something to do with money. Sky Cable and its parent company, ABS-CBN are locked in legal combat with Solar Entertainment which is the local distributor of NBA games., over alleged unpaid carriage fees amounting to P699 million. Sky Cable denies owing the money but the Mandaluyong Regional Trial Court nevertheless ordered the garnishment of its bank accounts and other assets.
We do not really care who gets how much from whom. All that we want is to be able to enjoy basketball on television. Sky Cable promised us that when it sold Basketball TV and NBA Premium to us. Now I’m beginning to understand how President Duterte felt when his campaign ads were not shown even after he has purchased and paid for air time.