Emergency rule request

MANILA: Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte wants to extend martial law in the entire island of Mindanao and nearby islands until the end of the year to ensure public safety and in order to quell the rebellion in the southern Philippines, his spokesperson Ernesto Abella said yesterday.

Abella said that Duterte had sent a seven-page letter to the country’s Congress on Monday requesting an extension of martial law until December 31.

“The primary objective of the possible extension is to allow our forces to continue with their operation unhampered by deadlines,” Abella said.