THE siege in Marawi could be finished within 10 to 15 days, President Rodrigo Duterte said Tuesday.
Speaking before traders at the Philippine Stock Exchange in Makati, Duterte said that the government is looking at finishing the ongoing siege, which saw hundreds of soldiers killed and thousands of civilians displaced 15 days from now.
“The way I see it, it will be over in 10 to 15 days. But remember, the new scourge is ISIS—it will continue to haunt us because of our Muslim brothers and sisters,” Duterte said during the 10th launching anniversary of Davao-based Phoenix Petroleum.
Duterte said what prevents government forces from a swift takeover of Marawi City is the unusually high number of arms concentrated in the war-torn city.
“This is the 45th, 46th day? The weapons have not been used up, especially the grenades. These can be fied from a rifle,” he said in Filipino.
National Security Adviser Hermogenes Esperon said security officials are working on finishing the ongoing siege within the “indicative target” provided by the President.
“That’s just an indicative target,” he said. “You can’t dictate for certain that the battle will be over in 10 days. But that’s an indicative target and we are determined to get that.”
Duterte said he will once again try to visit Marawi within the week, despite three failed attempts already in the past.
“I’ll try again, I don’t want to go there when it’s peaceful already… I’ll try to make it again this week,” he said.
The military is set to hand over its assessment on the implementation of martial law to the President as early as this week, before Duterte’s second State of the Nation Address.
Both Armed Forces chief Gen. Eduardo Año and Philippine National Police chief Director General Ronald dela Rosa had said they would recommend an extension of martial law if the Marawi crisis remained unresolved.
Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana on Tuesday sought to allay fears of possible abuses under a prolonged imposition of martial rule in Mindanao, pointing to safeguards in the Constitution.
“The Filipino people can rest assured, however, that if martial law is extended, they can continue to trust their defense and security establishments since every decision we make and operation we undertake is anchored on the rule of law and respect for human rights. They can trust their Armed Forces to protect them and advance the people’s best interest,” he added.
Lorenzana, who is also martial law administrator, hinted that he was in favor of a fairly short extension period.
On Saturday, Speaker Pantaleon Alvarez suggested a five-year extension of martial law in Mindanao, a proposal that has won little support, even from the Armed Forces, which said five years would be too long.
Senator Sherwin Gatchalian on Tuesday said he is not in favor of extending martial law in Mindanao in five more years, saying it would have negative effects on the country and will send a wrong signal to potential investors.
“There is no basis for that. We want to get this over as fast as we can and we want Mindanao to have sense of normality…. So, I think our interest is really to get back to normal as soon as possible,” Gatchalian said.
As chairman of the Senate Economic Affairs Committee, Gatchalian said extending martial rule in the region will also send a wrong signal to potential investors especially to Mindanao.
But Dela Rosa earlier urged the lawmakers to extend martial law in Mindanao to the “maximum period” possible.
He made the appeal after a two-hour briefing with Senators Aquilino Pimentel III, Vicente Sotto III, Gregorio Honasan, JV Ejercito, and Gatchalian.
Local Government officer-in-charge Catalino Cuy requested the briefing.
In an interview with GMA News Online, Dela Rosa said he proposed that the martial law declaration still cover the whole of Mindanao, as he warned of other “Marawi-style” sieges in other areas of the island.
Apart from the Maute group, Dela Rosa said there are other ISIS-inspired groups, including the Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters.
Dela Rosa said he could not still say when the Marawi crisis, already on its seventh week, will end.
But Senate President Aquilino Pimentel III said the extension of martial law must be requested by the President.