PRESIDENT Rodrigo Duterte said he was not lifting martial law in Mindanao before his State of the Nation Address (SONA) on July 24, as the situation in conflict-torn Marawi City has remained critical. “No,” the President said, when asked if martial law would be lifted before his SONA. “Pag sinabi na nilang wala nang delikado[When they say the situation is no longer delicate] and everything is okay, that’s the time we lift martial law,” he added. On Friday, Armed Forces spokesman Restituto Padilla Jr. said the military would give its recommendation to Duterte as early as next week. “Regarding the recommendation whether to extend or stop the implementation of martial law, the assessment is not yet done.

Source: Manila Times July 08, 2017 07:07 UTC