Hands off Marawi conflict please, bishop urges int’l communities

Smoke billows from burning houses as fighting between government troops and Islamist militants continues in Marawi on the southern island of Mindanao on July 3, 2017.
Islamist gunmen occupying a southern Philippine city still hold about 1,500 buildings after a six-week battle that has left hundreds of people dead, the government said on July 3. / AFP PHOTO / FERDINANDH CABRERA

The international community should help bring Marawi City back on its feet again instead of meddling in the fighting, a Mindanao bishop said on Thursday.

Marawi City Bishop Edwin dela Peña called on the international community to help in conducting relief operations and rehabilitation to rebuild the war-torn city following reports that Washington was planning to conduct airstrikes against extremist fighters.

“Kung gusto nilang tumulong, yung ito sa epekto ng giyera, ang daming maaari nilang gawin para makatulong. Itong relief operation, yung rehabilitation ang pagbangon muli ng Marawi. Yun ang maaari nilang itulong sa atin, pero yung makikialam sila sa atin ay hindi ako pumapayag nyan e,” dela Peña said in an interview with Radio Veritas.

(If they want to help in the effects of the war, they can help in many ways. In relief operations, in rehabilitation and rebuilding of Marawi. They can help through those means, but I do not agree with them directly meddling in the fights.)

He also said that the Church has yet to receive updates from the government about the state of hostages in the city, including Fr. Chito Suganob.

The last update dela Peña received was on August 1, in which Suganob was still alive and some hostages reportedly converted into Islam and deployed as fighters.

The bishop said he worries about the health of the hostages, especially the old ones.
“Yung iba ay senior na ‘yun, marami silang maintenance na tine-take every day wala silang maintenance ilang buwan na ngayon (Others are senior citizens, they have to take maintenance medicines every day. They haven’t taken those for months now),” he said.

“Pinangangamba namin ang kalusugan nila (We worry for their health),” he added.