Two senators on Wednesday backed President Rodrigo Duterte’s declaration of martial law in Mindanao as government forces clashed with militants linked to the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) group. “I believe that the President has the paramount interest of the Filipino people in mind in declaring Martial Law in Mindanao,” Senator Sherwin Gatchalian said in a statement shortly after the martial law declaration Tuesday night. Senator Joel Villanueva believes the martial law declaration in the region was necessary because of “the gravity of this horrific incident.”“We condemn to the highest degree the recent attacks which transpired in Marawi City. As to the President’s declaration of Martial Law in Mindanao, we understand why the situation calls for it due to the gravity of this horrific incident,” Villanueva said in a separate statement. Under the Constitution, the President must submit a report to Congress within 48 hours of the declaration of martial law.

Source: Philippine Daily Inquirer May 23, 2017 22:30 UTC