Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte has said he would impose martial law if the drug problem became “very virulent”, just a month after dismissing as “nonsense” any suggestion he might do so. Duterte has made a brutal war on drugs a central pillar of his administration since he took office in the middle of last year. More than 1 million drug peddlers and users have been arrested or have surrendered to authorities. “If I wanted to, and it will deteriorate into something really very virulent, I will declare martial law,” he said. Last month, Duterte appeared to rule out any possibility he might declare martial law.

Source: Huffington Post January 16, 2017 13:04 UTC