Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, July 22) — Martial law stays in Mindanao until the end of the year.

The Senate and House of Representatives on Saturday granted President Rodrigo Duterte's request to extend military rule in the south until December 31, 2017. Proclamation 216, which declared martial law in Mindanao, expires at 10 p.m. on July 22.

A total of 261 lawmakers voted in favor and 18 were against.

A majority vote of the two chambers voting jointly, or at least 158 of the 314 members of Congress, was needed to pass the motion.

A total of 279 lawmakers, or 20 senators and 259 congressmen, were present at the Batasang Pambansa in Quezon City. Senator Leila de Lima was unable to attend as she is detained at Camp Crame for drug charges.

Aside from declaring martial law in Mindanao, Proclamation 216 suspended the writ of habeas corpus. The proclamation was issued on May 23 when the ISIS-inspired Maute group stormed Marawi City, the capital of Lanao del Sur.

In his letter to Senate President Koko Pimentel and House Speaker Pantaleon Alvarez dated July 18, Duterte said government needs five more months to quell the rebellion in Mindanao.

Also read: Duterte wants to extend martial law until end of 2017

On July 21, Duterte said the Armed Forces and Philippine National Police recommended the five-month extension to cover the rehabilitation period for war-torn Marawi and prevent the possible retaliation of terrorist sympathizers.

"No, sa kanila yan (No, it's theirs) ... The contamination of the ideology na nakita nilang patay, might spur others just to do the same," Duterte said.

This is the first time Congress voted to extend a martial law proclamation.

Aside from the 14-year martial law declared by late strongman Ferdinand Marcos in 1972, former President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo also declared martial law in Maguindanao in December 2009 following the Maguindanao Massacre, which killed 57 people, including media practitioners.

Arroyo's martial law only lasted eight days. She lifted it even before Congress could review her proclamation.

Palace: Martial law extension essential to peace

Meanwhile, Malacañang released a statement following the joint session Saturday, saying now that the debate on the extension is over, the country must refocus its attention to make sure peace and order is maintained in Mindanao.

"The extension of martial law is essential to the overall peace and stability. The rebellion in Marawi continues to persist and we want to stop the spread of the evil ideology of terrorism and free the people of Mindanao from the tyranny of lawlessness and violent extremism," Presidential Spokesman Ernesto Abella said.

"There is much work to be done in the recovery, reconstruction and rehabilitation of Marawi," he added.

Drilon: No evidence to support Mindanao martial law extension to Dec. 31

Senate Minority Leader Franklin M. Drilon gave an explanation on why he voted against the extension of martial law until the end of 2017.

He said there was "no evidence of actual rebellion outside of Marawi City," and the declaration of martial law for a period longer than his proposed 60 days would mean they have failed to do their duty as lawmakers under the Constitution.

Drilon said, under the Constitution martial law can be declared only if "actual rebellion exists," and Congress may extend its duration if it is necessary.

He said, "The factual basis for a continued martial rule in Mindanao and an extension of up do December 31, 2017 do not meet the requirements of the Constitution."

Drilon said the President mentioned only 10 out of 27 provinces in Mindanao that are under threat, so it follows that martial law should be extended only in these areas "where actual rebellion exists."

Drilon also questioned the reason behind the extension when Duterte and security officials mentioned "significant progress" against rebels.</s>The Philippine Congress on Saturday voted to extend President Rodrigo Duterte's declaration of martial law in the south until the end of the year to defeat Islamist gunmen.

In a special joint session of the House and the Senate, legislators overwhelmingly backed Duterte's bid to have martial law remain in force in the Mindanao region until December 31.

The vote came as troops continued their two-month long fight to wrest back the southern city of Marawi from Islamic State-inspired militants.

Duterte's spokesman Ernesto Abella thanked Congress for its vote, saying "the nation has chosen to stand united in defending the Republic".

"The extension of martial law is essential to the overall peace and stability," he said in a statement.

Although opposition legislators questioned government officials for hours on the legality of the move, the vote was largely a foregone conclusion as Duterte enjoys majorities in both houses of Congress.

"We may wake up one day and martial law will be in force in the whole country," Senator Franklin Drilon said after the vote.

A slide presentation accompanying Duterte's request, seen by AFP, compared the Marawi crisis to the Islamic State takeover of the Iraqi city of Mosul.

Marawi itself could now become a magnet for foreign fighters in Iraq and Syria, it said.

Most of the militants' leaders remain at large, the presentation added, while about 90 of the gunmen have slipped past security cordons and can link up with other armed groups in the region to mount similar widescale attacks.

At the hearing, defence and security officials justified the extended martial law, saying that aside from Marawi, Islamist militants were planning attacks in other parts of Mindanao.

In Marawi, the military said only about 60 gunmen were left in a 49-hectare (121-acre) area of Marawi, but Duterte said he needed martial law powers to rebuild the city and ensure the war did not spread elsewhere.

"I cannot afford to be complacent," Duterte told reporters Friday, adding the military would be conducting further "mopping up operations" even after they recapture Marawi.

"If there is a spillage it will not be as bad if you have this stopgap," he added.

Duterte imposed 60-day martial rule -- the maximum period allowed by the constitution -- over the Mindanao region on May 23 within hours of the gunmen beginning their rampage.

On Monday he asked Congress to extend it until the end of the year, along with the continued suspension of a constitutional safeguard against warrantless arrests.

Martial law allows the military to establish control with measures such as curfews, checkpoints and gun controls in a country where civilians are authorised to keep licensed firearms in their homes.

However, any martial law extension must be approved by Congress.

The subject remains sensitive in the Philippines, decades after the late dictator Ferdinand Marcos put the country under military rule for part of his 20-year term.

Thousands of critics, political opponents as well as communist guerrillas were killed, detained or arrested during the period, according to historians.

About a dozen protesters in the gallery interrupted Saturday's hearing, chanting "never again, never again to martial law" before being escorted out.

In Marawi, the area's military spokesman Lieutenant Colonel Jo-ar Herrera assured the public that martial law would not be abused.

"Don't be afraid. Your soldiers are professionals. All our actions are based on the rule of law. We will respect the rights of our countrymen," he said.

Herrera said five soldiers had been killed in fighting on Saturday alone, bringing the total of slain troops to 105 with 428 militants killed.

Duterte had already beaten back a Supreme Court petition to declare martial law in Mindanao illegal.

"Once he feels that there is not enough opposition to a nationwide martial law declaration, he will go for it," in a bid to stay in office after his six-year term ends, Senator Antonio Trillanes told AFP on Tuesday.

Duterte, 72, insists he has no plan to stay in office beyond his term.</s>The attack by Islamic State group-affiliated militants on a Philippine city has galvanized its Southeast Asian supporters and spells trouble for the region, a top terrorism researcher said Friday as the occupation of Marawi nears two months despite a sustained military offensive.

In a new report, Sidney Jones, an expert on militant networks in Southeast Asia at the Jakarta-based Institute for Policy Analysis of Conflict, said there now may be a higher risk of attacks in other Philippine cities and cooperation between militants across regional borders could expand. Militants in Indonesia and Malaysia will want to redouble efforts to attack police and may also lift their sights to targeting foreigners, she said.

“The initial photographs from Marawi released over social media as the ISIS assault began — smiling fighters hold guns aloft on trucks — seemed to have the same impact as the iconic ISIS victory photos from Mosul in 2014,” Jones said, using another acronym for IS and referring to its past occupation of Iraq’s second-largest city. “They generated a shared sense of triumph and strengthened the desire of ISIS supporters in the region to join the battle.”

Waving IS-style black flags, the heavily armed fighters stormed into Marawi, a center of Islamic faith in the south of the predominantly Roman Catholic Philippines, on May 23, occupying buildings, houses and mosques and taking hostages. Foreign fighters, including 20 Indonesians, joined the insurrection, which officials and researchers say received funding locally and from IS in Syria that was coordinated by a Malaysian known as Mahmud bin Ahmad.

At least 578 people, including at least 428 militants, 105 soldiers and policemen, as well as 45 civilians have been killed in the worst urban uprising by Muslim militants in the volatile southern Philippines in decades. Nearly half a million residents have been displaced in Marawi and outlying towns by the fighting.

On Saturday, the Philippine Congress overwhelmingly approved the President Rodrigo Duterte’s appeal for martial law in the south to be extended to the end of the year to help troops quell the two-month siege by the militants and stamp out similar extremist plots in the volatile region.

House of Representatives Speaker Pantaleon Alvarez announced that senators and House members voted 261-18 in favor of granting Duterte’s request in a special joint session. The 60-day martial law had been scheduled to expire late Saturday.

The military chief of staff, Gen. Eduardo Ano, warned during the session that aside from the uprising in Marawi, extremist groups have plotted similar insurrections in other southern cities and that martial law has helped troops stop attacks, including bombings, elsewhere.

“There was an order for them to do their own version of Marawi in other areas, but we were able to stop this because of martial law,” Ano told the legislators.

Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana played down concerns of military abuses, saying no major human rights violations have been reported since Duterte declared martial law to deal with the Marawi violence, the worst crisis in his yearlong presidency.

Some opponents argued that government forces could deal with the attack in lakeside Marawi, a center of Islamic faith in the southern third of the largely Roman Catholic nation, without resorting to martial law. Others worried that the extension was too long and that the rest of the country may eventually be placed under martial rule.

Left-wing activists opposed to Duterte’s declaration rallied outside Congress. Some unfurled protest posters in the plenary hall but were forced out by security officers.

Sen. Risa Hontiveros recalled how civil liberties were curtailed and Congress was padlocked when dictator Ferdinand Marcos imposed martial law in the Philippines in 1972. Marcos was ousted in a “people power” revolt in 1986.

Duterte said Friday the Marawi crisis should be over soon, but that he has asked troops not to launch an all-out assault that might prompt the militants to kill their hostages.

“We’ll just have to wait it out. I told them, ‘do not attack,’ ” Duterte said in a speech at a business conference in the southern Philippine city of Davao. “If we have to wait there for one year, let us wait for one year.”

Military officials have said 300 civilians may be held by the militants or trapped in their homes by the fighting.

Jones said Indonesians and Malaysians who joined the fight in Marawi could return to their countries, and with their high prestige provide new leadership, uniting factionalized pro-IS cells.

But a Malawi-style attack in Indonesia, the world’s most populous Muslim nation, is unlikely because unlike the southern Philippines, it does not have the multiple insurgencies that extremists can draw on for fighters and weapons, she said.

The report was based on research in the southern Philippine region of Mindanao, interviews with Indonesian militants, credible news reports including from The Associated Press and monitoring of pro-IS groups on the Telegram instant messaging app.

When the militants holding out in Marawi are defeated, the rebuilding of the city, which has pounded by airstrikes, will be crucial for the Philippines and Southeast Asia, according to Jones.

Officials need to give those displaced a voice in the rebuilding of Marawi and prevent extremist teachings from finding fertile ground, she said.

“Recruiters (for militant groups) were able to build on the narrative of state brutality long before the battle for Marawi began, but the military’s reliance on airstrikes … enabled the fighters to blame the government for the city’s destruction,” she said.</s>Manila (AFP) - The Philippine Congress opened a special session Saturday to vote on President Rodrigo Duterte's bid for an extension of martial law in the south to defeat Islamist gunmen.

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.

A slide presentation accompanying Duterte's request, seen by AFP, compared the Marawi crisis to the Islamic State takeover of the Iraqi city of Mosul.

Marawi itself could now become a magnet for foreign fighters in Iraq and Syria, it said.

Most of the militants' leaders remain at large, the presentation added, while about 90 of the gunmen have slipped past security cordons and can link up with other armed groups in the region to mount similar widescale attacks.

At the hearing, defence and security officials justified the need for martial law, saying that aside from Marawi, Islamist militants were planning attacks in other parts of the southern Philippines.

They said almost a thousand pro-IS militants, holding 23 hostages, were still active elsewhere in the south.

In Marawi, the military said only about 60 gunmen were left in a 49-hectare (121-acre) area of Marawi, but Duterte said he needed martial law powers to rebuild the city and ensure the war did not spread elsewhere.

"I cannot afford to be complacent," Duterte told reporters Friday, adding the military would be conducting further "mopping up operations" even after they recapture Marawi.

"If there is a spillage it will not be as bad if you have this stopgap," he added.

Duterte imposed 60-day martial rule -- the maximum period allowed by the constitution -- over the Mindanao region on May 23 within hours of the gunmen beginning their rampage.

On Monday he asked Congress to extend it until the end of the year, along with the continued suspension of a constitutional safeguard against warrantless arrests.

In an unprecedented move, both the House and the Senate met jointly on a weekend to vote on Duterte's request.

- 'Nationwide martial law' -

Story continues

Martial law allows the military to establish control with measures such as curfews, checkpoints and gun controls in a country where civilians are authorised to keep licensed firearms in their homes.

However, any martial law extension must be approved by Congress.

The subject remains sensitive in the Philippines, decades after the late dictator Ferdinand Marcos put the country under military rule for part of his 20-year term.

Thousands of critics, political opponents as well as communist guerrillas were killed, detained or arrested during the period, according to historians.

About a dozen protesters in the gallery interrupted Saturday's hearing, chanting "never again, never again to martial law" before being escorted out.

House Speaker Pantaleon Alvarez has said previously he sees no roadblock to the swift approval of the extension by both chambers of 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 an 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.

After this he could declare a revolutionary government to allow him to stay in office beyond his six-year electoral term in mid-2022, Trillanes says.

Duterte, 72, insists he has no plan to stay in office beyond his term.</s>MANILA
• Philippine lawmakers yesterday voted to extend martial law on the southern island of Mindanao until the end of the year, giving President Rodrigo Duterte extra time to quell a rebellion by militants allied with the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS) group.

After debating for seven hours, 261 lawmakers agreed to extend military rule in a special session of the House of Representatives and the Senate.

The votes represented more than two-thirds of Congress, which has over 300 lawmakers.

Sixteen members of the Senate and 245 from the Lower House voted in favour of the extension until Dec 31.

Only 18 voted against the motion - four senators and 14 members of the House of Representatives.

Mr Duterte had previously imposed a 60-day period of martial law over Mindanao when fighting broke out in Marawi on May 23.

But it was set to expire at midnight yesterday.

Martial law allows the military to establish control, with measures such as curfews, checkpoints and gun control, in a country where civilians are allowed to keep licensed firearms at home.

However, any martial law extensions must be approved by Congress.

The subject remains sensitive in the Philippines, decades after late dictator Ferdinand Marcos put the country under military rule for part of his 20-year term. Thousands of critics, political opponents and communist guerillas were killed, detained or arrested during the period, according to historians.

About a dozen protesters in the gallery interrupted yesterday's hearing, chanting "never again, never again to martial law" before they were escorted out.

A slide presentation accompanying Mr Duterte's request, seen by AFP, compared the Marawi crisis to the ISIS takeover of the Iraqi city of Mosul.

Marawi itself could now become a magnet for foreign fighters in Iraq and Syria, it said.

Most of the militant leaders remain at large, the presentation added, while about 90 of the gunmen have slipped past security cordons and may link up with other armed groups in the region to mount similar wide-scale attacks.

A reported released last Friday by the Jakarta-based Institute for Policy Analysis of Conflict (Ipac) warned that the terrorist network battling Philippine forces in Marawi may be preparing Muslim militants to carry out similar attacks in Asia.

Ipac director Sidney Jones told Reuters: "The risks won't end when the military declares victory (in Marawi)."

The two men heading the Marawi network had also apparently urged militants to attack targets in Singapore, Thailand, Myanmar, South Korea, Japan and China, said Ipac.

They were said to have sent out the message on the Russian-developed social media app Telegram.</s>Philippines to extend martial law in south until year end

The Philippine Congress today voted to extend President Rodrigo Duterte’s declaration of martial law in the south until the end of the year to defeat Islamist gunmen. — Reuters picMANILA, July 22 — The Philippine Congress today voted to extend President Rodrigo Duterte’s declaration of martial law in the south until the end of the year to defeat Islamist gunmen.

In a special joint session of the House and the Senate, legislators overwhelmingly backed Duterte’s bid to have martial law remain in force in the Mindanao region until December 31.

The vote came as troops continued their two-month long fight to wrest back the southern city of Marawi from Islamic State-inspired militants.

Duterte first declared martial law in Mindanao on May 23 shortly after the gunmen, waving the black flags of the IS group, occupied parts of Marawi, triggering weeks of bloody fighting.

The vote was largely a foregone conclusion as Duterte enjoy majorities in both houses of Congress.

But opposition lawmakers dragged out the debate, questioning why martial law was needed for the whole of Mindanao when the fighting was limited to only one city.

“I fear that the plan to extend the martial law in Mindanao will pave the way for a Philippines-wide martial law,” said Senator Risa Hontiveros ahead of the vote.

A slide presentation accompanying Duterte’s request, seen by AFP, compared the Marawi crisis to the Islamic State takeover of the Iraqi city of Mosul.

Marawi itself could now become a magnet for foreign fighters in Iraq and Syria, it said.

Most of the militants’ leaders remain at large, the presentation added, while about 90 of the gunmen have slipped past security cordons and can link up with other armed groups in the region to mount similar widescale attacks.

At the hearing, defence and security officials justified the extended martial law, saying that aside from Marawi, Islamist militants were planning attacks in other parts of Mindanao.

They said almost a thousand pro-IS militants, holding 23 hostages, were still active elsewhere in the south.

In Marawi, the military said only about 60 gunmen were left in a 49-hectare (121-acre) area of Marawi, but Duterte said he needed martial law powers to rebuild the city and ensure the war did not spread elsewhere.

“I cannot afford to be complacent,” Duterte told reporters yesterday, adding the military would be conducting further “mopping up operations” even after they recapture Marawi.

“If there is a spillage it will not be as bad if you have this stopgap,” he added.

Duterte imposed 60-day martial rule — the maximum period allowed by the constitution — over the Mindanao region on May 23 within hours of the gunmen beginning their rampage.

On Monday he asked Congress to extend it until the end of the year, along with the continued suspension of a constitutional safeguard against warrantless arrests.

Martial law allows the military to establish control with measures such as curfews, checkpoints and gun controls in a country where civilians are authorised to keep licensed firearms in their homes.

However, any martial law extension must be approved by Congress.

The subject remains sensitive in the Philippines, decades after the late dictator Ferdinand Marcos put the country under military rule for part of his 20-year term.

Thousands of critics, political opponents as well as communist guerrillas were killed, detained or arrested during the period, according to historians.

About a dozen protesters in the gallery interrupted today’s hearing, chanting “never again, never again to martial law” before being escorted out.

Duterte had already beaten back a Supreme Court petition to declare martial law in Mindanao illegal.

“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.

This is part of a bid to stay in office beyond his mandated six years, he warned.

Duterte, 72, insists he has no plan to stay in office beyond his term. — AFP</s>Soldiers onboard military trucks ride along the main street as government troops continue their assault on insurgents from the Maute group, who have taken over large parts of Marawi City, Philippines, on June 2, 2017. Source: Reuters/Romeo Ranoco

PHILIPPINE lawmakers on Saturday voted to extend martial law on the southern island of Mindanao until the end of the year, giving President Rodrigo Duterte extra time to quell a rebellion by militants allied with the Islamic State group.

A total of 261 legislators agreed to extend military rule in a seven hour-long joint special session of the House of Representatives and the Senate, accounting for more than two-thirds of Congress membership of more than 300.

The overwhelming vote supporting the extension of martial law was not surprising, with Duterte counting a majority of lawmakers and senators as his allies.

Duterte had declared martial law in Mindanao on May 23 after government troops clashed with homegrown terrorists from the Maute Group and Abu Sayyaf Group in Marawi City.

SEE ALSO: Philippines: Congress to vote today on Mindanao martial law extension



According to Rappler, the 1987 Constitution only allows the President to declare martial law for a maximum of 60 days or until July 22 in this case. Any extension requires approval from both houses of Congress.

As the Armed Forces and the Philippine National Police have so far failed to neutralise the rebels, Duterte wrote a letter to Congress asking for an extension until the end of the year, citing the “evolving” urban warfare that is making it difficult for the military and the police to end the fighting in Marawi.

The motion has proven to be controversial, with protesters disrupting the joint session of Congress with chants of “Never again to martial law.”

According to Inquirer.Net, the group were members of the National Union of Students of the Philippines (NUSP).

“The NUSP condemns the proposal of Malacañang to extend Martial Law in Mindanao until the end of the year, December 31. The request for extension is only an admission by the government that nothing has been achieved to solve the Marawi crisis in the 60-day span of the Martial Law,” said Mark Vincent Lim, NUSP National Spokesperson in a statement.

“This impending extension will continue to legitimize militarisation and US military presence in Mindanao. It has done nothing but bring about the displacement, disappearances, rape, killings and other human rights violations to our Lumad and Moro brothers and sisters.”</s>related media assets (image or videos) available. Click to see the gallery.

2 related media assets (image or videos) available. Click to see the gallery.

Philippine lawmakers on Saturday voted to retain martial law on the southern island of Mindanao until the end of the year, giving President Rodrigo Duterte more time to tackle armed extremists allied with the Islamic State group.

MANILA: Philippine lawmakers on Saturday voted to retain martial law on the southern island of Mindanao until the end of the year, giving President Rodrigo Duterte more time to tackle armed extremists allied with the Islamic State group.

Some 261 legislators agreed to extend military rule in a seven hour-long joint special session of the House of Representatives and the Senate, more than the required two-thirds of the house.

Security officials had told lawmakers that martial law was needed to stabilise a region where Islamic State was gaining influence, and supporters could be inspired to stage uprisings in other areas of Mindanao, joined by foreign jihadists.

Defence Secretary Delfin Lorenzana warned of more serious problems if the government did not have the powers to act swiftly.

"We need martial law because we haven't addressed yet the existence of other Daesh-inspired groups," he said, referring to another name for Islamic State.

Duterte placed Mindanao under martial law on May 23 when heavily-armed militants belonging to the Maute and Abu Sayyaf groups along with foreign fighters stormed Marawi City, sparking the biggest security crisis of his presidency.

The battle to liberate Marawi continues two months after, with more than 420 militants, 100 soldiers and 45 civilians killed. Some of those were executed by the rebels, according to the military.

Government troops pulverized and retook some of the Maute strongholds after weeks of artillery attacks and airstrikes, but an estimated 70 militants remained holed up in the downtown area.

"The rebellion in Marawi continues to persist and we want to stop the spread of the evil ideology of terrorism and free the people of Mindanao from the tyranny of lawlessness and violent extremism," Presidential Spokesman Ernesto Abella said in a statement.

But martial law remains a sensitive issue in the Philippines as it brings back memories of human rights abuses that occurred in the 1970s under the late dictator Ferdinand Marcos.

He was ousted in a "people power" revolt in 1986. Saturday's vote paves the way for the first ever extension of a period of martial law since the Marcos era.

Opponents expressed fears Duterte might eventually place the entire country under martial law, but the authorities have dismissed that.

Senator Franklin Drilon said the extension until end of the year was too long and Senator Risa Hontiveros, a staunch critic of Duterte, said martial law has "no strategic contribution to the military's anti-terrorism operations".

Congressman Edcel Lagman said there was "no factual basis" for martial law and that the siege in Marawi was terrorism, not rebellion.

Rebellion is one of the pre-conditions for declaring martial law under a 1987 constitution that was drafted to prevent a repeat of the Marcos era abuses.

Military chief General Eduardo General Año said retaking Marawi has proven difficult because it was the first time troops had engaged in a "Mosul-type, hybrid urban warfare", referring to the fighting in the Iraqi city until recently held by Islamic State.</s>Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte, third from left, arrives to visit troops in Camp Ranao in Maraw (Presidential Photographers Division, Malacanang Palace)

The Philippine Congress has voted overwhelmingly to extend martial law in the south until the end of the year.

The legislators backed President Rodrigo Duterte's call for an extension in the Mindanao region to deal with Islamist gunmen who have occupied parts of a southern city for two months.

Duterte had previously imposed a 60-day martial law over Mindanao when fighting broke out in Marawi on May 23, but it was set to expire Saturday.

The Philippine Congress opened a special session Saturday to vote on President Rodrigo Duterte's bid for an extension of martial law in the south to defeat Islamist gunmen.

A slide presentation accompanying Duterte's request, seen by AFP, compared the Marawi crisis to the Islamic State takeover of the Iraqi city of Mosul.

Marawi itself could now become a magnet for foreign fighters in Iraq and Syria, it said.

Most of the militants' leaders remain at large, the presentation added, while about 90 of the gunmen have slipped past security cordons and can link up with other armed groups in the region to mount similar widescale attacks.

At the hearing, defence and security officials justified the need for martial law, saying that aside from Marawi, Islamist militants were planning attacks in other parts of the southern Philippines.

They said almost a thousand pro-IS militants, holding 23 hostages, were still active elsewhere in the south.

In Marawi, the military said only about 60 gunmen were left in a 49-hectare (121-acre) area of Marawi, but Duterte said he needed martial law powers to rebuild the city and ensure the war did not spread elsewhere.

"I cannot afford to be complacent," Duterte told reporters Friday, adding the military would be conducting further "mopping up operations" even after they recapture Marawi.

"If there is a spillage it will not be as bad if you have this stopgap," he added.

Duterte imposed 60-day martial rule -- the maximum period allowed by the constitution -- over the Mindanao region on May 23 within hours of the gunmen beginning their rampage.

On Monday he asked Congress to extend it until the end of the year, along with the continued suspension of a constitutional safeguard against warrantless arrests.

In an unprecedented move, both the House and the Senate met jointly on a weekend to vote on Duterte's request.

When Marawi, a once-little known city in the southern Philippines, was overrun by militants allied to IS in May, it brought the spectre of radical Islamist insurgency to Australia’s doorstep. Australia urged to join regional IS fight as Marawi crisis continues A United States general is urging Australia to join the fight against IS extremists in south-east Asia.

Martial law allows the military to establish control with measures such as curfews, checkpoints and gun controls in a country where civilians are authorised to keep licensed firearms in their homes.

However, any martial law extension must be approved by Congress.

The subject remains sensitive in the Philippines, decades after the late dictator Ferdinand Marcos put the country under military rule for part of his 20-year term.

Thousands of critics, political opponents as well as communist guerrillas were killed, detained or arrested during the period, according to historians.

About a dozen protesters in the gallery interrupted Saturday's hearing, chanting "never again, never again to martial law" before being escorted out.

House Speaker Pantaleon Alvarez has said previously he sees no roadblock to the swift approval of the extension by both chambers of 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 an 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.

After this he could declare a revolutionary government to allow him to stay in office beyond his six-year electoral term in mid-2022, Trillanes says.

Duterte, 72, insists he has no plan to stay in office beyond his term.</s>Watch the special session of both branches of Congress live

Bookmark to watch live on Rappler on Saturday at 9:00 AM

MANILA, Philippines – As the martial law declaration on Mindanao expires on Saturday, July 22, President Rodrigo Duterte asks both branches of Congress to extend martial law until December 31.

In his letter sent to Speaker Pantaleon Alvarez and Senate President Aquilino Pimentel III, Duterte pointed to the "newly evolving" urban warfare tactics employed by homegrown terrorists in Marawi City as the reason government troops will not be able to neutralize the rebels by Saturday, July 22.

Duterte officially sent his letter to Congress on Tuesday, July 18.

The President declared martial law in Mindanao after the military clashed with members of the Maute Group and Abu Sayyaf Group starting on May 23.

The 1987 Constitution allows the President to declare martial law for a maximum period of 60 days. Any extension requires the approval of both the House and the Senate, which will be holding a special session to discuss Duterte's request. – Rappler.com
After seven hours of debate, the joint special session of the Congress of the Philippines votes 261–18 in favour of the motion to extend Proclamation No. 216 (martial law on the whole of Mindanao in response to the Marawi crisis), that was set to expire 10 PM Philippine Standard Time, until the end of the year.