Preventing a repeat

Soldiers and police who fought in the siege, a number of whom suffered permanent disabilities, as well as relatives of the security forces and civilians killed in the fighting gathered in Marawi this week to mark the first year since the city was officially liberated from Maute terrorists.

The five-month siege ended with the deaths of Maute brothers Abdullah and Omar together with Abu Sayyaf commander Isnilon Hapilon, said to be the IS “emir” in Southeast Asia. The Maute brothers’ father Cayamora and mother Farhana were also arrested, with the father later dying of illness while in detention.

Putting key supporters of the Maute brothers behind bars, however, does not guarantee the full neutralization of the threat. President Duterte, in a speech yesterday, admitted there was a failure of intelligence in Marawi, for which he said he was taking full responsibility. That failure cannot be repeated in the face of a persistent threat.

Said to be inspired by the terrorist Islamic State, the Mautes had sufficient firepower – as the President himself acknowledged – to take on much of the Armed Forces of the Philippines for five months. The group also appeared to have ample funds, which security forces suspected was raised not just from legitimate businesses operated by the Maute family but also through criminal activities such as drug trafficking. The siege indicated considerable support for the Mautes and whatever violent cause they were espousing.

In March this year, the IS in Southeast Asia announced that it had picked a new regional emir, an Abu Sayyaf sub-leader born in Lanao del Sur who goes by the name of Abu Dar. The military said Abu Dar managed to slip out of Marawi near the end of the siege, bringing with him cash looted from the devastated city.

The Abu Sayyaf has been decapitated several times in the past two decades, but it has always managed to regroup and bounce back. The government must stop this once and for all, and make sure the Maute threat is neutralized for good. There can be no repeat of the Marawi siege.