MANILA -- The Philippine Congress on Wednesday backed President Rodrigo Duterte's demand to extend martial law by another year on the troubled southern island of Mindanao.
The vote marks the third extension since Duterte first imposed martial law in Mindanao in May 2017 after Islamic State-inspired militants took over Marawi, a Muslim-majority city. Security forces liberated Marawi in October 2017, but Duterte said pockets of rebellion in the region justified a further extension.
