After Mindanao, Philippines' Duterte mulls martial law in Visayas

Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte on Wednesday said he may place the Visayas region in central Philippines under martial law — after calling for army control of the restive Mindanao region.

"I may decide to expand the area to include Visayas because it is a walking distance actually," Xinhua news agency quoted Duterte as saying at the airport after cutting short his official visit to Russia.

He might also decide to suspend the writ of habeas corpus in the Visayas region, the President said, adding: "Remember this is not intended for law-abiding citizens."

Visayas region are the group of island provinces in the central Philippines.

Duterte said his martial law declaration for Mindanao, in the country's restive south, was necessary to fight militants there, CNN reported.

"I had to declare martial law in the Mindanao group of islands," Duterte said at a news conference Wednesday.

"It is our constitutional duty to enforce the law and provide security."

Duterte's order -- which covers Marawi city and the wider island of Mindanao -- came after deadly clashes broke out between Filipino government troops and Islamist militants on Tuesday, the CNN report said.