MANILA, Philippines - Congress needs only two more joint sessions to deliberate and vote on martial law in Maguindanao.

By December 15, Tuesday, senators and congressmen will be ready to vote on its possible revocation, according to House Speaker Prospero Nograles.

"If we can muster the quorum next week, we can end the debates and vote possibly on Tuesday. I think by Monday, the issue of necessity of declaration of martial law will be clearly joined and ripe for voting," Nograles said in a statement.

"I notice that the questions appear to be similar but couched in different angles, but the bottom line remains the same. We are called upon to examine a presidential judgment call on a given situation of lawlessness and or rebellion. The question is simply whether this declaration was necessary or not. All other political considerations should not even be considered,” Nograles added.

The Arroyo administration said the imposition of martial law in Maguindanao last December 5 was needed due to the presence of heavily armed groups which were preventing the enforcement of the law with regard to the massacre of 57 people--including 30 journalists--in the worst election-related violence in Philippine history.

Nograles, who is in favor of the proclamation of martial law, is confident he shares the view of the majority of the members of Congress. At least 147 votes, or majority of the members of Congress voting jointly, will be needed to revoke martial law in Maguindanao.

So far, only 51 lawmakers have signed separate resolutions opposing the declaration.

Senate outnumbered

Majority of the members of the Senate--17 members--have signed an anti-martial law resolution, but they concede that they are outnumbered by the congressmen.

Nevertheless, the senators have been aggressively arguing their position in the Congress joint session. Most of them contend that there is no presence of "actual rebellion" to justify the declaration of martial law.

The senators also argued that the declaration of martial law, which has led to the filing of rebellion charges against those arrested during the duration of the martial law, could weaken the multiple murder charges against the Ampatuans, who are close political allies of President Arroyo.

So far, only Makati City Rep. Teodoro Locsin Jr. and Lanao Del Norte Rep. Abdullah Dimaporo have supported the declaration in the plenary.

Congress' joint session, which started Wednesday afternoon, has consumed about 11 hours of the 20 hours allotted for deliberations. The suspended session Thursday night and will resume on Monday.

While Congress is deliberating on the proclamation, at least seven petitions against the martial law declaration have also been filed before the Supreme Court.