Duterte is widely expected to win approval for martial law in the region until the end of the year, with troops having failed to wrest back Marawi city following two months of fighting. However, any martial law extension must be approved by Congress. Duterte had already beaten back a Supreme Court petition to declare martial law in Mindanao illegal. But opposition politicians have criticised Duterte's proposal for a martial law extension, with some alleging it is part of a Duterte plot to eventually bring the country under a military-backed dictatorship. "Once he feels that there is not enough opposition to a nationwide martial law declaration, he will go for it," Senator Antonio Trillanes told AFP on Tuesday.

Source: The Nation Bangkok July 22, 2017 02:37 UTC