Sara Duterte on martial law extension in Mindanao: It’s up to Palace, AFP, PNP

Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte-Carpio said it would be up to Malacañang, the military and the police to decide if martial law in Mindanao should be extended following the Sultan Kudarat bombing that killed two people and injured 36 others.

Whatever the decision is, she said they would follow it.

“We follow the decision of the OP (Office of the President), AFP (Armed Forces of the Philippines and PNP (Philippine National Police) because they are better informed by the intelligence units on the need to extend martial law in Mindanao,” Duterte-Carpio said in a statement on Wednesday.

An improvised bomb, placed inside a motorbike in front of a business establishment in Barangay Kalawag 3 in Isulan town, went off at 8:30 p.m. on Tuesday.

Executive Secretary Salvador Medialdea told reporters that the extension of martial law in Mindanao is an option after the deadly blast.

READ: Medialdea: Extending martial law in Mindanao is an option

Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque said the Palace shared the view of Medialdea.

READ: Palace OK with possible martial law extension in Mindanao

The enforcement of martial law in Mindanao will end on December 31, 2018 after it was extended by Congress since President Rodrigo Duterte declared it on May 23, 2017.

Mindanao was placed under martial rule after the ISIS-inspired Maute Group attacked the Islamic City of Marawi last year, causing destruction and unrest in the region. /muf

RELATED STORY: Palace condemns Sultan Kudarat blast