The extension, until Dec 31 next year, would mark the longest period of martial law since the 1970s era of late strongman Ferdinand Marcos, one of the darkest and most oppressive chapters of the country's recent history. Duterte enjoys massive public support but his frequent threats to expand martial law are contentious in a country that suffered nine years of oppression under Marcos before his ouster in 1986. #ANCRecap: The Congress approved President Duterte's request for an extension of martial law in Mindanao for another year. "We have made martial law the new normal, absent of any proof of invasion or rebellion," he said. "Martial law now desensitizes the people to wrongly equate it with good governance and democracy."

Source: Bangkok Post December 13, 2017 07:52 UTC