Duterte visits Iligan evacuation center amid humanitarian crisis from fighting
After he placed the entire Mindanao under martial law amid intense fighting in Marawi City to flush out Islamist militants, President Rodrigo R. Duterte on Tuesday apologized to the Maranao people who were affected by the urban warfare.
Mr. Duterte issued the apology four days before the end of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan during his visit to an evacuation center in Iligan City, located some 38 km away from Marawi and where evacuees are overflowing.
It was also the first time he visited displaced civilians from Marawi after being out of the public eye for days. Yesterday, he visited again wounded troops at Camp BGen. Edilberto Evangelista in Cagayan de Oro City.
“Hindi pa naman natapos ang Ramadan (Ramadan is not done yet). I’d like to say to the Maranao people that I am very, very, very sorry na nangyari ito sa atin (that this happened to us),” Mr. Duterte said.
“Sana sa madaling panahon (I hope soon) you will find a new heart to forgive my soldiers, ang
gobyerno pati ako ( the government and me) for declaring martial law,” he added.
The government believes the Maute militants carried out their bloody occupation in Marawi before Ramadan to catch the attention of the Islamic State (IS) in the Middle East and earn the notorious terrorist group’s recognition.
According to Mr. Duterte, the urban battle in Marawi left him with no choice but to declare martial law over Mindanao to wipe out extremists.
“I have to drive them out. But I am very sorry,” Mr. Duterte, the first Mindanaoan president, said, adding that he will help in the rehabilitation of the besieged southern city.
“We will rehabilitate ang Marawi. Gaganda iyon ulit (It will be beautiful again).”
Clashes between government forces and the pro-IS Maute terrorist group erupted in Marawi on May 23. Mr. Duterte, in his Proclamation 216, declared martial law and enforced warrantless arrests over Mindanao that day.
The terrorists at the outset of their attack planted black IS flags, took the city’s vicar and many people hostage, and set fire to establishments.
There have been previous reports of gunmen threatening or killing Christians. But some civilians were able to flee the city by deceiving Maute fighters they encountered with the help of Muslims who hid the identity of the many Christians among them.
PREVENTING CIVIL WAR
In a separate speech in Cagayan de Oro, Mr. Duterte said expediting the peace process with Muslim separatist groups in Mindanao is “our only hope” to end the conflict in the southern region and to avoid “civil war” between Christians and Moros
“Kasi ’pag mag-armas na ang civilian din (If civilians would arm themselves too), it will be a civil war. So ang trabaho natin, dalawa na (we have two tasks now): how to hold itong mga Kristiyano na may armas at ito namang IS/ Maute (the armed Christians and the IS/Maute),” Mr. Duterte said.
“’ Yun ang delikado (That’s the dangerous situation). [ We need] to prevent a communal... civil... communal war,” he added.
Early this month, the 21-member Bangsamoro Transition Commission (BTC) approved the final draft of Bangsamoro Basic Law ( BBL), which will serve as the legal foundation of the future Bangsamoro government in Mindanao.
Irene M. Santiago, chair of the government’s implementing panel for Bangsamoro peace accords, recently said the new BBL will be submitted to the Office of the President in mid-June for review, then to Congress when the legislature resumes its regular session on July 24.
“We are hoping and planning that the President will mention it (BBL) in the SONA and say that, ‘This is priority bill for me,’” Ms. Santiago said.
According to Mr. Duterte, the latest BBL will be submitted to him today, Wednesday. He said he will sign it “two days after ngayon (today).”
“Itulak ko na sa ( I will push it in) Congress. Iyon talaga ang totoo (That’s the truth). Hindi ko kayo bobolahin (I’m not fooling you),” he said.