“Without the martial law powers, the ancillary powers attached to the implementor, the implementing agency, mahihirapan tayo (it would be difficult),” the president said. But in his letter to Congress, Duterte cited continuing threats of ISIS-inspired terrorists in seeking for an extension of martial law, adding that those who escaped the Marawi battle were actively recruiting to carry out future assaults. Martial law remains a sensitive issue in the Philippines after it was used by the late dictator Ferdinand Marcos in the 1970s to perpetuate himself to power. Opponents feared Duterte might declare a nationwide martial law, but the authorities had repeatedly dismissed that. "We do not ask for unlimited martial law.

Source: Philippine Star December 13, 2017 10:18 UTC