Duterte: Narco politicians ‘main protagonists’ in Marawi crisis
THE Islamic State (IS)-inspired extremists were not the key players in the protracted crisis in Marawi City, President Rodrigo Duterte said.
In a speech he delivered in Davao City Friday night, the Chief Executive claimed purported IS emir in Southeast Asia Isnilon Hapilon and the Maute brothers who led the insurgency in Marawi City “are a distant star of being the main protagonists.”
Duterte tagged former and incumbent government officials in Mindanao involved in illegal drugs as the “main protagoni st s”.
The motive of the politicians funding the war in Marawi is not yet known, said Duterte.
“Hapilon or [the Maute brothers], you would say that they are a distant star of being the main protagonists. On the list, it’s really those who are in the government,” Duterte told reporters during a media gathering at Matina Enclaves in Davao City.
“But to what extent was this drug used to build up the terrorist activity is something which we have really to find out. Until now, it’s not [clear; it’s a] blurred. It remains something to be like, they are just there fighting but there were a lot of Arabs fighting the enemy,” he added.
The President, during the media night, made public the socalled “LDS (Lanao del Sur) Drug Trade Linked Diagram” to show how the narco politicians operate the illegal drug trade in the entire Mindanao.
In the matrix, the names of former Marantao mayor Mohammad Ali Abinal, Maguing Mayor Mamaulan Pangga Abinal Mulok, former Marawi City mayor Fahad “Pre” Salic, former Marawi City Mayor Omar Solitario Ali, and the Parojinog Drug Trade of the deceased Ozamiz City mayor Reynaldo Parojinog were highlighted in the red circles.
In his fifth visit to the war zone on September 21, Duterte already made a passing reference to the matrix, noting that the red circles were part of the discovery of the military in Marawi.
The matrix showed that local politicians were linked to a “shabu tiangges” in Maguing and Marawi City in Lanao del Sur.
Ali’s sons – incumbent Marawi City Vice Mayor Arafat Salic, Samer Salic, and Walid Salic – were also included in the drug matrix.
Duterte claimed that “drug lords” in Lanao del Sur were former mayor Muslimen Macabato; Buadipuso-Buntong Mayor Noron Dadayan; Mulondo Mayor Hadju Jalam Adulsalam; Bonbola Radiamoda of Bayang; Ansari Saripada Radiamoda of Lilod Madaya; Ditsaan-Ramain Vice Mayor Noridin Adiong; Lanao del Sur Provincial Board Member Rangaig Mamarinta; Parahiman Batawi of Samer, Butig; Acong Domato and Haj Taha Abdullah of Picong; Gona Romoros Aba of Novaliches, Metro Manila; and an unnamed Filipino-Chinese businessman.
The Chief Executive further tagged at least 19 “drug dealers,” including a councilor and several village executives.
“All drug trade in LDS pass to former mayor Pre and Solitario [through] barangay chairman Aliodin, and Vice Mayor Arafat and brother[s] Samer and Walid, respectively,” the drug matrix read.
“Pre and Solitario authored the kidnapping and liquidation of all drug lords to them. Arrows indicate drug trade control relationship,” it added.
Duterte said the intelligence community completed the matrix for about two to three months, the period when the armed struggle in Marawi City already started.
On May 23, the Maute terror group stormed the besieged city in a bid to establish a caliphate for IS fighters.
“That is the work of the intelligence for the last three months or two when we were able to penetrate the insides of the entrails of the city,” the President said.
“There, they discovered that the Maute was really preparing for a long haul. Until now, they never ran out of ordnance, explosives, ammunition, and all. I really do not know the extent now of the contamination,” he added. (Ruth Abbey Gita/ SunStar Philippines)