MANILA: Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte won martial law powers across the southern third of the country for one more year on Wednesday to combat militants and leftist rebels, as Congress brushed aside fears of a looming dictatorship.
Duterte's request to extend martial law in the Mindanao region until December 31 next year and detain suspected rebels there without charge was overwhelmingly approved by the Senate and House of Representatives.
"The motion to further extend the proclamation of martial law and the suspension of the privilege of the writ of habeas corpus is hereby approved," House Speaker Pantaleon Alvarez said after a 240-27 vote at a joint session.
In May Duterte imposed military rule and suspended the writ — a constitutional guarantee against warrantless arrests — across the region of 20 million people, hours after armed militants seized the southern city of Marawi.
The initial period of martial law was limited by the constitution to 60 days.
However, in July Congress authorised Duterte to extend martial law until the last day of 2017 as he moved to retake the city from hundreds of gunmen he accused of plotting to turn Marawi into a regional base for the Daesh group.
Duterte declared Marawi "liberated" in October after a five-month US-backed bombing campaign that claimed more than 1,100 lives and left large areas of the city in ruins.
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MANILA: Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte won martial law powers across the southern third of the country for one more year on Wednesday to combat militants and leftist rebels, as Congress brushed aside fears of a looming dictatorship.