Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte warned Thursday he may impose martial law and suspend elections for tens of thousands of local posts, fueling concerns about democracy under his rule.

Ex-Philippine dictator Ferdinand Marcos can be given a hero's burial, the Supreme Court decided Tuesday in a hugely controversial ruling which critics said would whitewash his crimes and divide the nation.

Beijing will reject any ruling by an international tribunal in a contentious case brought by the Philippines over the South China Sea, the foreign ministry said, as tensions mount over the disputed waters.

U.N. rights experts on Monday urged the Philippines' president elect Rodrigo Duterte to stop instigating deadly violence, especially against journalists, slamming his comments as dangerously irresponsible.

U.N. expert on summary executions Christof Heyns described recent remarks by Duterte as "irresponsible in the extreme, and unbecoming of any leader."

Two Philippine soldiers were killed during clashes with Islamic militants trying to regain their base in a remote, mountainous region of the southern Philippines, the military said on Monday.

Ten soldiers were also wounded and about 2,000 residents displaced during the clashes with gunmen from the Maute group which has pledged allegiance to the Islamic State group.

The son and namesake of the late Philippine dictator Ferdinand Marcos has narrowly lost the election for vice president, according to an official count that was only completed Friday, almost three weeks after polls closed.

The result dealt a blow to the political aspirations of the family, which had targeted the position for Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jnr as a potential stepping stone to recapturing his late father's presidential post.

Plans by the Philippines' controversial president-elect to give late dictator Ferdinand Marcos a hero's burial triggered outrage on Tuesday, with martial law victims warning it would whitewash the strongman's crimes.

Rodrigo Duterte, who won this month's elections in a landslide, announced on Monday he would allow Marcos to be buried at the Heroes' Cemetery in Manila, in what would be another big win for the dictator's family as it cements a remarkable political comeback.

Philippine dictator Ferdinand Marcos will finally be allowed a hero's burial, the nation's controversial incoming president said Monday, in what would be a huge win for the late strongman's family as it pursues a return to power.

Rodrigo Duterte also said he would pardon ex-president Gloria Arroyo, who is being detained at a military hospital while on trial for graft and vote fraud.

Communist guerrillas killed three Philippine soldiers in the first fatal clash since a newly-elected president offered to restart stalled peace talks, the military said Sunday.

The soldiers were on the central island of Negros on Saturday investigating reports that New People's Army guerrillas were extorting money from villagers when they clashed with about ten rebels, leaving three soldiers dead and two wounded, a military report said.

The son and namesake of late Philippine dictator Ferdinand Marcos was fighting for his political future Friday after a cliffhanger vice presidential election contest against a novice politician.

A win for Ferdinand Marcos Jnr, 58, would have been the family's biggest political victory since its humiliating downfall in 1986 after a "People Power" uprising ended 20 years of human rights abuses, election fraud and the plunder of state coffers.