"If I want to and it will deteriorate into something really, really virulent, I will declare martial law," Duterte told members of the chamber of commerce in the southern city of Davao on Saturday evening.
He did not specify what kind of situation he was talking about but he had been addressing the war on drugs before making the statement.
Duterte, a former city mayor with a crime-fighting reputation, was sworn in as president in late June on promises to crack down on illegal drugs and end criminality in the country within six months. According to media reports, thousands of people have already been eliminated during his campaign against drugs.
Under the Constitution of the Philippines, a martial law can be declared only in case of invasion of rebellion.
Duterte, a former city mayor with a crime-fighting reputation, was sworn in as president in late June on promises to crack down on illegal drugs and end criminality in the country within six months. According to media reports, thousands of people have already been eliminated during his campaign against drugs.
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