The Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) on Friday said the capability of the Maute terrorists has “significantly been degraded” as it assured the public there won’t be a spillover of the Marawi conflict.
“Their capabilities have been significantly degraded, and they have specifically targeted Marawi to sow terror, wreak havoc, possibly kidnap people, destroy homes, schools, what have you. And that’s what exactly they did,” Brig. Gen. Resituto Padilla, AFP spokesperson, said in a Palace briefing.
Padilla admitted there could be members of the Maute Group who might have escaped government security and have gone to Iligan City and Cagayan de Oro.
“Kung may miyembro na ng Maute na nasa Iligan, hindi po natin dine-deny na maaaring merong iilan na nakalusot sa patuloy na pag-alis ng ilang mga evacuees sa Marawi papunta sa ibang karatig lugar tulad ng Iligan at Cagayan de Oro,” he said.
(If there are Maute members who are already in Iligan, we will not deny that they may have escaped amid the ongoing evacuation of residents from Marawi toward other places such as Iligan and Cagayan de Oro.)
In this June 9, 2017, photo, soldiers ride a military vehicle on the outskirts of Marawi city, southern Philippines. AP FILE PHOTO
“So itong mga indibidwal na ‘to, maaaring nakalusot at hindi sila naproseso at nakita na maaaring naging miyembro,” he added.
(These individuals might have escaped and authorities failed to properly identify them as Maute members.)
Asked whether the Maute terrorists could also launch attacks in Iligan City and Cagayan de Oro, Padilla said they no longer have the capacity.
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“Safe to say, I can tell you, they don’t have the capacity to do what they did in Marawi anymore,” he said.
The military, he said, was “taking proactive measures” to prevent terroristic acts in the region.
“So any kind of action of that extent will not happen in Iligan and Cagayan de Oro. And we are taking up proactive measures to ensure that even an attempt to sow some confusion, to sow terror in these areas by small actions will be prevented,” he said.
Padilla urged the public to cooperate with the government in monitoring suspicious persons in their areas.
“And again, I would like to emphasize, even if I sound like a broken record, that every citizen should be part and should be responsible for watching over their surroundings and cooperating with government on that matter,” he said. IDL/rga