THE Senate and the House of Representatives will hold a joint session on Wednesday, December 13 to discuss President Rodrigo Duterte's request for a one-year extension of martial law in Mindanao.
House majority leader Rodolfo Fariñas made the announcement on Monday afternoon, December 11.
"Joint Session to consider the request of the President for the further extension of the proclamation of Martial Law and the suspension of the privilege of the writ of habeas corpus in the whole of Mindanao for a period of one year, from Jan 1, 2018 to Dec 31, 2018, will be on Wednesday, Dec 13, 2017, at 9am," Fariñas' announcement read.
Earlier in the day, the House leadership received a copy of President Duterte's letter requesting Congress to extend martial law in Mindanao up to December 31, 2018.
Martial law was imposed by the President on May 23 to quell members of the Maute terror group, who had gone on a rampage in Marawi City while government was conducting manhunt operations against Isnilon Hapilon, former Abu Sayyaf leader and allegedly the Southeast Asia emir of global terror group Islamic State.
Under the Constitution, martial law may be imposed for 60 days. Upon the recommendation of Duterte just before it expired on July 22, Congress extended martial law until December 31, 2017.
In his letter to Congress, Duterte said the extension aims to "ensure total eradication of Daesh-inspired Da'awatul Islamiyah Waliyatul Masriq (DIWM), other like-minded Local/Foreign Terrorist Groups (L/FTGs) and Armed Lawless Groups (ALGs), and the communist terrorists (CTs) and their coddlers, supporters, and financiers."
The President said martial law is necessary as the remnants of the Maute group are trying to rebuild their organization by recruiting more people from Maguindanao, Sulu, Basilan and North Cotabato.
The President declared Marawi liberated in October while defense authorities announced the end of the war on October 23, exactly five months after it broke out, following the deaths of Hapilon and Omar Maute.
The government, however, refused to lift martial law then, citing the military's ongoing clearing operations and the continuous rehabilitation in war-stricken Marawi. (SunStar Philippines)