Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte said he might expand martial law nationwide if violence currently confined to the south spreads to the country’s main island of Luzon.
“If I think ISIS has already taken control in Luzon and terrorism is not really far behind, I might declare martial law throughout the country,” Duterte said in a televised speech on Wednesday after arriving home from a curtailed visit to Russia.
Duterte put the southern island of Mindanao under martial law on Tuesday after renewed clashes between government troops and militants linked to Islamic State. It’s the first imposition of martial rule in the restive Muslim region since 2009, and will be in place for 60 days.
Duterte has frequently raised the prospect of martial law amid outbursts of violence in Mindanao. The region is home to 11 of the country’s 20 poorest provinces and has seen four decades of Islamic insurgency that has led to the deaths of about 200,000 people.
Duterte said the privilege of habeas corpus has been suspended in Mindanao, and doesn’t target law-abiding citizens. Duterte promised that law enforcers won’t abuse their power. “We’re the least of your worries,” Duterte said in his speech.
Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana was quoted by local media saying the government would probably set up checkpoints and impose curfews.
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