PRESIDENT DECLARES MARTIAL LAW IN MINDANAO

The siege of Marawi City on May 23 by the terrorist Maute Group has prompted President Rodrigo Duterte to cut his scheduled May 23-26 official visit in Russia aimed to bolster trade and diplomatic relations with the communist country.

Now in Russia, Duterte is flying back to the Philippines and will arrive late afternoon today, May 24, as government forces battle out the terrorists who occupied and burned government and private establishments in the western city of Mindanao.

Duterte has declared martial law in the country’s volatile island of Mindanao, home to various terror groups that continue to shatter peace and order and  impede the island’s economic development .

In Davao City, the President’s home city, presidential daughter Mayor Sara Duterte-Carpio advised prospective visitors and tourists to cancel their trips to the city over fears the violence in Marawi could spill over to Davao City.