PHILIPPINE National Police chief Ronald Dela Rosa says the Maute group is in possession of a battle tank owned by the police.
“That’s true. It’s an object of recovery. We need to recover that,” Dela Rosa told reporters in Marawi City on Tuesday.
“But we need to slowly clear Marawi City first to recover it.”
Dela Rosa made his statement even as two Mindanao mayors were stripped of their deputation as peace-and-order authorities, a privilege given to elective local officials, because of their alleged involvement in the illegal drug trade.
“The National Police Commission ordered the withdrawal of the deputation of Sirawai, Zamboanga del Norte Mayor Gamar Ahay Janihim and Clarin, Misamis Occidental Mayor David Navarro,” National Police Commission officer Rogelio Casurao said in a statement on Tuesday.
He said the two were stripped of their deputation after the commission received information that they were involved in the illegal drug trade.
Dela Rosa said the tank owned by the Special Action Force was carrying reinforcements to the police assigned to the provincial headquarters when it was ambushed and fell into the hands of the Maute group.
“After they got ambushed, the wheels broke,” Dela Rosa said.