MANILA, Philippines — President Rodrigo Duterte on Wednesday afternoon announced that the writ of habeas corpus had been suspended in Mindanao following his declaration of martial law on the island Tuesday night after clashes between security forces and bandit groups left three people dead and several others hurt. Speaking shortly after arriving from Moscow where his official visit was cut short, Duterte said that the writ of habeas corpus had been suspended, and security forces would be conducting searches and set up checkpoints to deal with threat of extremism in Mindanao. EXPLAINER: Why is the writ of habeas corpus important? The 1987 Constitution requires that the writ be suspended separately from the pronouncement of martial law. "During the suspension of the privilege of the writ of habeas corpus, any person thus arrested or detained shall be judicially charged within three days, otherwise he shall be released," Article 7, Section 18 of the Constitution states.

Source: Philippine Star May 24, 2017 09:47 UTC