YearEnder: Congress 2017 and the resurgence of martial law

MANILA, Philippines — The year 2017 saw Congress approving the first post-Marcos martial law proclamation in a historic vote, although limited to strife-torn Mindanao, and extending it twice – first for five months until Dec. 31 and then for the entire 2018.

This unprecedented move by a joint session of the Senate and the House of Representatives resulted from the Marawi siege, where soldiers took five months to flush out Islamic State (IS)-linked Maute terrorists.