FILE PHOTO: Anti-riot police officers stand on guard in front of a placard while activists protest against the declaration of martial law in Mindanao, southern Philippines, during a rally in front of the Supreme Court in Metro Manila, Philippines July 4, 2017. REUTERS/Dondi Tawatao/File Photo
MANILA (Reuters) - The Philippine Congress approved a 12-month extension of martial law in the restive Mindanao region on Wednesday, after President Rodrigo Duterte argued for maintaining tough security measures to stop Muslim extremists from regrouping.
A joint legislative session voted 235-28 in favour of retaining military rule in Mindanao until the end of 2019, prolonging what was already the country's longest period of martial law since the brutal 1970s era of late dictator Ferdinand Marcos.
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