29 May, 2017
Phelim Kine, a deputy director with Human Rights Watch's Asian division, said that the president's "pro-rape comments only confirm some of the worst fears of human rights activists that the Duterte government will not just turn a blind eye to possible military abuses in Mindanao, but may actively encourage them".
The violence gripping Marawi, a militant hotbed, prompted Duterte to impose martial law for 60 days, with a subsequent warning that he would extend it to the entire country if necessary.
In Manila, hundreds of protesters marched Friday to the presidential palace to oppose Duterte's declaration of martial law in the southern Mindanao region.
The Philippines, which is majority Catholic, has faced Muslim separatist movements for decades in Mindanao with its significant Muslim population.
Earlier reports said the militants beheaded a local police chief.
Their bodies - heads bullet-riddled, with hands and feet tied - were found about 8 am Sunday some six meters in a shallow ravine on the roadside. "The men were executed on the road above, the police commander on the scene said", Sullivan told NPR's Newscast. The bishop also reported that nine people had been killed in the same raid on the cathedral.
Most of the city's residents have fled because of the fighting, which has seen the military heavily bomb residential areas where the militants were believed to be hiding. The wire service said that many of those trapped sent text messages pleading for rescue.
The military offensive began on Tuesday, when the government tried to capture Isnilon Hapilon, a senior leader with Abu Sayyaf, a gang that kidnaps for ransom.
The militants have control of some government buildings, including a jail, which was seized on Tuesday, leading to the escape of more than 100 prisoners, including some Maute members. Two more soldiers died, bringing the total killed 13.
The Maute rebels' hold of Marawi City and the government's announcement that Indonesians and Malaysians were among the fighters has raised alarm about the prospect of Islamic State's radical ideology gaining traction in Southeast Asia.
The President in a speech on Saturday told the army based in Iligan City that he himself would take responsibility for the acts they will commit under martial law.
A day later, he threatened to expand martial law across the country, and told his troops to "spare no one" who violently resists government forces. "If you rape three people, I will admit that I did it". "If you happen to have raped three women, I will own up to it".
It could be recalled that during the 2016 campaign period, Duterte also jested about an Australian missionary that was killed and raped by inmates.
In what was intended as a joke, Duterte said the victim was attractive and as mayor of Davao city where the riot took place, he should have been first in line. There was no intention of disrespecting our women and those who have been victims of this disgusting crime.
His comments sparked condemnation from the Philippine Women's Party, who issued a statement saying, "Rape is not a joke".
