President Rodrigo Duterte

Philippines President, Rodrigo Duterte declares martial law in the entire Island of Mindanao after the Maute terrorist group clashed with the government troops in Marawi City. 

In a briefing in Moscow, the presidential spokesperson, Ernesto Abella made the announcement on the order of President Duterte. Abella said the martial law will be in the city for 60 days and this is possible under the country's own constitution.

The new martial law will take hold in Mindanao including Basilan, Sulu, and Tawi-tawi. The new resistance by the Maute group has affected the President's travel plan as he looks into postponing his meeting with Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev, and travel back to Manila, Philippines.

President Putin will also meet with Duterte on Tuesday instead of their plans to meet Thursday.

The recent clash in the Island of Mindanao has seen 2 soldiers and one police officer killed, and 12 others wounded. 

Defence Secretary Delfin Lorenzana also said that the group occupies a street and two bridges, and had asked for reinforcement from other units to join them in the fight, as they tend to prove to ISIS in Syria they are a group to reckon with.

He said;

The whole of Marawi City is blacked out. There is no light and there are Maute snipers all around so the troops are still on holding and several groups of element already joined them from other neighboring units.

Lorenzana also said that more troops will arrive in the city on Wednesday.

Like every trademark of terrorist organizations, they had destroyed St. Mary’s Church,the Ninoy Aquino School, the city jail,and Dansalan College.

The Government has urged people in Mindanao to stay indoors or flew from the Island whenever it is safe.

See video here:

The Philippine President, Rodrigo Duterte has been labelled to be an outspoken leader against the U.S government, its policies in the Philppine and also the United State president, Barack Obama. 

The different tirade against the U.S government isn't affecting the popularity of Duterte as citizens see him as someone that will keep the country away from the corrupt political establishment the people are tired of voting for.

Duterte has decided to pitch his country's tent with country around the Asia region. He has decided to be friends with countries like China, Japan and also recently the U.S decided it will not sell guns to the country again, but he shut them out, and said he will buy from Russia if U.S won't sell his gun.

But the question is why is Duterte angry with the U.S government? 

According to people close to Duterte, it might have started in 2002 after an explosion rocked a hotel in the city, when Duterte was a mayor of Davao on the southern island of Mindanao. The explosion injured the occupant of the hotel room, Michael Meiring, a FBI agent at the time.

According to an investigation by local police, the bomb explosion was caused by explosives in Michael's possession.

A few days later, men with FBI badges have said to have appeared at the hospital where Michael was treated and moved him away without local authority's permission, amidst investigation. He was then allowed to leave the country.

The American ambassador at the time promised Duterte that a thorough investigation will be conducted, and a report will be submitted to the mayor then (Duterte),but the report never came through.

October 21, while travelling to Japan, Duterte told reporters that the event was an insult to the Philippines.

Some experts also believed that the Anti-American attitude might be because of this past education in the late 1960s and early 1970s. Duterte was reported to belong to a leftist group when anti-Vietnam War movements across the world were in full-swing.

The founder of the communist party, Jose Maria Sison, was Duterte teacher at the college at the time, and Duterte cabinet contains members recommended by the communist party.

Watch one of video of Duterte lashing out at Obama

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The Philippine president Rodrigo Duterte remains colourful in his words, and seems to swear at anything that angers him. The recent man to face his recent anger is President Obama of the U.S. who had planned to meet with him during the ASEAN meeting in Laos this week.

The White house had reported that Obama would confront Duterte about the way drug dealers are executed without judicial proceedings or due process.

But on hearing the reason the Obama would meet him, Duterte said;

Who does he think he is? I am no American puppet. I am the president of a sovereign country and I am not answerable to anyone except the Filipino people,"Son of a b****, I will swear at you."

Duterte also blamed the U.S. for the unrest on the southern Philippines Island of Mindanao. Duterte said;

As a matter of fact, we inherited this problem from the United States," he said. "Why? Because they invaded this country and made us their subjugated people. Everybody has a terrible record of extra-judicial killing. Why make an issue about fighting crime?

Obama May Not Meet Duterte

In response to Duterte speech, President Obama while addressing the press said that the meeting with Duterte might not go forward. He said;

I always want to make sure if I'm having a meeting that it's productive and we're getting something done.

If and when we have a meeting, this is something that is going to be brought up," Obama said, referring to the Philippines' controversial record of combating drug crime since Duterte took office earlier this year.