MANILA, Philippines - The military will follow orders from lawmakers amid calls from various sectors to revoke martial law ruling in Maguindanao province.

In an interview with reporters Monday, Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) Deputy Chief of Staff for Operations Major General Gaudencio Pangilinan, said the military is neither recommending nor opposing the lifting of the martial law declaration.

The Senate and House of Representatives are set to hold a joint session to decide whether to repeal, shorten or extend the martial law declaration.

?Lifting the martial law is not our call, if congress decide tomorrow to lift it then so be it? we are not particular in requesting or recommending that it be extended, we execute whatever the law says or whatever our superiors tell us,? Pangilinan said.

Martial law was declared by President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo Saturday morning after hundreds of firearms and ammunition ? including government purchased weapons ? were excavated near the mansion of the Ampatuan clan, the prime suspects behind the killing of at least 57 persons ? mostly women and journalists ? in Maguindanao last November 23.

More firearms were recovered in various raids in Maguindanao following the declaration of martial law.

Pangilinan added that the military and police are not only running after the Ampatuan clan in Maguindanao but also other local ?warlords.?

?It?s not only Ampatuans, every warlord there, we will run after then, even Mangudadatu (Buluan Vice-Mayor Esmael ?Toto? Mangudadatu), if he?s got private armed groups there, he has disbanded some of them but if he does not disband, we will run after them,? Pangilinan said.

The military is running after loose firearms in the province, Pangilinan said, adding that they ?hope to recover a lot before elections so there will be less intimidation.?

However, Pangilinan said that once all loose firearms are accounted for, recommending the lifting of martial law ?will be the right step to do.?

What the military is preventing is the eruption of more violence in the province from supporters of the Ampatuan clan, he added.

However, he admitted that large-scale fighting between military forces and Ampatuan supporters in Maguindanao is ?not likely.?

?They (Ampatuan supporters) would fight in small scale, that is what we are trying to prevent now, that?s why we have a lot of troops there to dissuade any group from fighting, from creating violence,? Pangilinan said.