MANILA, Philippines — The House of Representatives' "Magnificent Seven" challenged on Wednesday the constitutionality of President Rodrigo Duterte's martial law extension before the Supreme Court. On May 23, Duterte imposed martial law in Mindanao after the Islamic city of Marawi was stormed by heavily-armed extremists who pledged allegiance to ISIS. This was the basis used by the late dictator Ferdinand Marcos for placing the entire Philippines under martial law from 1972 to 1981. "No extension of martial law is needed to foreclose threats or quell lawless violence," they stressed. RELATED: Senators question inclusion of NPA as basis for martial law extensionIn the latest Social Weather Stations survey conducted from December 8 to 16, 62% of the respondents agreed that martial law in Mindanao should not be extended "because the war in Marawi has ended."

Source: Philippine Star December 27, 2017 12:11 UTC