MANILA, Philippines — Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana on Wednesday thanked the Congress for granting President Rodrigo Duterte's request to extend martial law in Mindanao for another year, vowing that security forces would not waste the opportunity to rid the region of threats to peace and order. He also vowed to prevent prevailing security threats from spilling into other parts of the country, just two months after Philippine security personnel liberated Marawi City, a lakeside town of 200,000, from terror militants who tried to transform the city into an ISIS province. They also contend that there is no basis for the continuing placement of Mindanao, a region of 22 million, under martial law. READ: MAT: Martial law extension a danger to human rights, democracyLorenzana, the defense secretary, expressed confidence that the rehabilitation of Marawi City would continue "unhampered" with the extension of martial law. READ: ‘Martial law not meant to defer barangay, local elections,’ DND chief says

Source: Philippine Star December 13, 2017 11:37 UTC