Duterte: ‘I might declare martial law throughout the country’

Upon returning from Russia on Wednesday, President Rodrigo Duterte, who earlier declared martial law in Mindanao due to armed clashes with Islamic State-linked group Maute in Marawi City, said he might expand his martial law declaration in Mindanao throughout the country.

“If I think that the ISIS has already taken foothold also in Luzon, and terrorism is not really far behind, I might declare martial law throughout the country to protect the people,” Duterte said in a press conference.

During the press conference that was also broadcasted on Facebook live, Duterte said that he is considering to first expand martial law to the Visayas and suspending the Writ of Habeas Corpus.

“I may decide to expand the area to include the Visayas because it is a walking distance actually,” he said. The Marawi attack comes a month after the armed clash between Abu Sayyaf terrorists and military

“I might also decide to suspend the writ of habeas corpus in the Visayas. Remember that this is not intended for the law-abiding citizens. We are the least of your worries,” the President added.

Writ of Habeas Corpus is a legal recourse that requires arresting bodies accused of illegally detaining a person to bring a prisoner to court to determine if the detention is lawful.



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