President Rodrigo Duterte placed Tuesday night the entire island of Mindanao under martial law due to the "rebellion" going on and this will be effective for 60 days.

In a televised press conference from Moscow, Russia, Presidential Spokesperson Ernesto Abella said that Duterte called him up at 10pm Manila time and asked him to announce that “he has already declared martial law for the entire island of Mindanao,” including Basilan, Sulu and Tawi-Tawi provinces.

The declaration was made due to the “existence of rebellion” and it will be “good for 60 days,” he said.

Duterte's declaration of martial law was based on Section 18, Article VII of the 1987 Constitution, he said.

With the siege of Marawi City by the terrorist Maute Group, bringing with them flag of the Islamic State, Foreign Affairs Secretary Alan Peter Cayetano said Duterte would cut short his official visit to Russia.

"The President feels he is needed in Manila as soon as possible," he said, noting that he talked to his Russian counterpart to explain the situation in the Philippines.

He said the separate bilateral meetings of Duterte with Russian President Vladimir Putin and Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev would be postponed.

"The meeting between President Duterte and President Putin and President Duterte and Prime Minister Medvedev will be postponed. But we are in the process of arranging that President Putin and President Duterte will be able to speak, most probably it will be a phone call, because President Putin is not in Moscow at this point in time," Cayetano explained.

The DFA secretary said he would be left behind in Russia as the signing of agreements between the two countries would push through.

The Philippines and Russia are set to sign defense, military, energy, trade and political agreements.

Cayetano said Duterte “does not take lightly the declaration of martial law” as he assured that the President would "act within the framework of the Constitution" and the government would "follow rules and regulations."

Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana said that more forces would be deployed in Mindanao, particularly in Marawi City.

He said with the declaration of martial law, the government could “control their (terrorists) movement,” and could “implement searches, detain people.”

The firefight between the government forces and the Maute Group started at around 2pm on Tuesday when the joint elements of the Army and the police were trying to serve a warrant of arrest against Isnilon Hapilon, Lorenzana said.

Hapilon is a leader of the extremist Abu Sayyaf Group and ISIS-anointed leader in the Philippines.

However, the government forces were "met with gunfire," Lorenzana said.

He said the members of the Maute Group also started occupying and then burning several establishments in Marawi, such as a hospital, city jail, roads and the two bridges leading to the city.

As of Tuesday night, he said three government troopers - a policeman and two Army soldiers - were killed and 12 others were wounded.

"The whole of Marawi City is blackout. There are Maute snipers around," he said, noting that no people were roaming around in the city as they might be mistaken as government forces and be hit by the snipers.

He said on Wednesday morning, more troops from Zamboanga City and Manila would be deployed to Marawi City. (Celerina Monte/DMS)