Marawi II? Mindanao solon doesn't see another siege happening
At A Glance
- Lanao del Sur 1st district Rep. Zia Alonto Adiong doesn't see a repeat of the 2017 Marawi siege any time soon.
- An estimated 1,000 ISIS-inspired Maute Group terrorists occupied Marawi City in Lanao del Sur on May 23, 2017. It took five months for government forces to drive them out.
Lanao del Sur 1st district Rep. Zia Alonto Adiong (Ellson Quismorio/ MANILA BULLETIN)
Lanao del Sur 1st district Rep. Zia Alonto Adiong doesn't see a repeat of the 2017 Marawi siege any time soon.
“With the support of the LGUs (local government units), we've seen how we were able to liberate Marawi City. And I don't see any reason why the same problem again may pop up in the future,” Adiong said during a press conference Tuesday, Feb. 27.
Adiong, chairman of the Ad Hoc Committee on Marawi Rehabilitation and Victims Compensation, was asked about the current security situation in Lanao.
Elements of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) clashed with members of the Daulah Islamiyah-Maute Group last Feb. 16 in Munai, Lanao del Norte. The skirmish left six soldiers dead and four others wounded.
Adiong said this may be an isolated incident. “(If) you go anywhere in Mindanao, all areas in Mindanao, okay naman (They're doing okay)…relatively peaceful," he said.
“There's an ongoing military operation against yung mga (the)remnants. Remember, ang ISIS po, it's not a homegrown terrorist organization. This is an imported ideology,” he added.
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Speaker Martin Romualdez earlier said he was directed by President Marcos to provide financial aid to the 10 casualties from the AFP.
Adiong said there is no atmosphere of fear in Mindanao as local residents see all stakeholders working together to contain whatever is left of the Maute Group.
An estimated 1,000 ISIS-inspired Maute Group terrorists occupied Marawi City in Lanao del Sur on May 23, 2017. The Philippine military drove the terrorists out after a grueling five-month battle that left the Islamic city in shambles.