3 held at Iloilo City port due to ‘Maute ties’ were bound for Manila

Iloilo City (Google maps)

Update (first posted at 5:36 p.m.)

ILOILO CITY — The three ship passengers who were intercepted in Iloilo for suspected ties with the Maute terror group, on Sunday, were bound for Manila, the Coast Guard said.

The two men and a woman were among the passengers of the MV St. Therese of Child Jesus operated by the 2GO shipping company that was set to leave for Manila around 5 p.m. on Sunday after a stopover at
the Iloilo port from Cagayan de Oro City, Lt. Edison Diaz, the Coast Guard Iloilo commander, said.

The three were still being investigated at the Coast Guard Iloilo station as of 7:35 p.m. Sunday.

(READ: 3 held, quizzed by Coast Guard Ilolo for ‘ties to Maute Group’ https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/906588/3-held-quizzed-by-coast-guard-iloilo-for-ties-to-maute-group )

Diaz said they were intercepted at the Iloilo port around 3:15 p.m. based on information forwarded by the Coast Guard in Cagayan de Oro City, who learned of the three after the ship had already departed Saturday evening.

An eight-member Coast Guard team flew to Iloilo to intercept the three passengers.

One of the men is believed to be a member of the Maute group while the woman is his sister. The other man is the woman’s boyfriend, according to Diaz.

The Coast Guard has not revealed the identities of the three because the investigation is ongoing.

Diaz has denied reports that the woman is a sister of the Maute brothers who were among those believed to have led the attack in Marawi City.

He said only clothes and other personal belongings were recovered from the three passengers.  SFM