DAVAO CITY – President Duterte warned on Wednesday, he would suspend the writ of habeas corpus in the Visayas if the threat of terrorism extended beyond Mindanao.

Speaking during the 119th anniversary of the Philippine Navy at the Sasa port here, Mr. Duterte said the order would give authority for security forces to make arrests and thwart terrorists from making a foothold in the central Philippines.

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The President said the order, short of martial law, would be necessary as Visayas could be reached easily by sea from Mindanao in a matter of hours. “That is just a precautionary measure. Don’t think it would happen. I hope it would not happen,” Duterte said.

The President reiterated what he said has been the “creeping menace” of IS extremism, calling Marawi City — where government forces have been battling IS-inspired Maute group gunmen — as a bedrock of illegal drugs fueling local terrorists.

Duterte warned that the IS-inspired terrorists wanted to “supplant our way of life.”

The President said the declaration of martial law in the entire Mindanao was “an implicit admission” the present security threat could no longer be handled by police alone.

While the Armed Forces of the Philippines did not recommend martial law, Mr. Duterte said the military had given him sufficient information to declare martial law in Mindanao. He assured the public he would lift the order upon receiving assurances from the military and the police that the security situation in the entire region has been stabilized. SFM

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