8-5 curfew in effect in Marawi

MARAWI CITY - The Philippine National Police here is implementing curfew hours from 8:00 p.m. to 5:00 a.m. which none so far has violated, according to Police Superintendent Ebra M. Moxsir, chief of the Marawi City Police Office.

This started when residents of the nine barangays declared ‘cleared’ by the military of terrorists’ presence and unexploded ordnance.

According to Moxsir, the curfew starts at 8:00 o’clock in the evening to give residents time to attend to their last evening prayer at 7:10 in the evening. Some of them, he said, go to masjids and have to walk home.

According to Moxsir, no one has violated the curfew but said anyone caught doing so will be investigated.

He said Martial Law has had a good impact in Marawi City because residents here have become more obedient to the law.

Residents are now also sharing in the responsibility of guarding their community, according to the PNP official.

It can be recalled that a barangay peacekeeping action team (BPAT) of Basak Malutlut had a great part in arresting Mohammad Ilham Syahputra, the Indonesian fighter who hid in the destroyed building in the battle zone before attempting to escape.

But BPAT members, who were patrolling that time, heard a phone ringing from inside the house. With the help of the military, they eventually arrested Syahputra, who was believed to be hiding there for many days. He was caught cooking food.

Syahputra admitted to being a member of ISIS Indonesia and was said to be the intelligence officer of the late Abu Sayaff leader Isnilon Hapilon.