(Eagle News) — President Rodrigo Duterte has approved the creation of a “peace corridor” to hasten humanitarian and rescue operations for those trapped in Marawi, where government troops continue to fight terrorists.
Presidential spokesperson Ernesto Abella said in a Mindanao Hour briefing on Wednesday that the peace corridor was a “secure space” that would allow goods to reach Marawi residents, and allow safe passage of retrieved bodies, among others.
He said the Moro Islamic Liberation Front had vowed to help the government secure the corridor to be set up for residents in the city, where clashes between government troops and the Maute terrorist group—an MILF splinter group—have claimed 129 lives so far.
Of the 129, Abella said 89 were from the terrorists’ side, and 21 from the government side.
Nineteen civilians, Abella said, have been killed by the terrorists.
He said 72 government troopers have been wounded in action.
More than 900–960 to be exact–have already been rescued from conflict areas.
The Department of Education has deemed it best to move the opening of classes in the city in June to a later date to ensure the safety of students.
“There is a positive development in Marawi with the recovery of high-powered firearms which reduces the capability of armed groups to do violent activities,” Brigadier General Restituto Padilla, Armed Forces of the Philippines spokesperson, said.
Abella said so far, 91 have been recovered.
“The estimate is (the city is) about 90 percent completely cleared,” Padilla said.
Gov’t troops abide by protocols
According to Padilla, government troops in the area continue to abide by the “protocols.”
“Our rules of engagement have not changed. The amount of force in the area is commensurate only with the resistance,” he said.
He reminded civilians trapped in conflict zones to observe the prescribed procedure of first raising a white cloth when soldiers are approaching.
Women and children, he said, should come out first with their hands raised.
“When (government forces) say stay, stay. Once told to move forward, follow the instructions of the forces. Rescue procedures will begin,” he said.
Maute fighting for survival
Asked about a video of a priest, Chito Suganob, allegedly taken hostage by the Maute group, and which was making the rounds on social media since Tuesday, Padilla said they were still in the process of verifying if this was authentic.
He noted this could be “propaganda” by the Maute group, which is indicative of them fighting for survival.
He also denied that a relative of a member of the Maute group had been intercepted at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport, saying that one individual had only been invited for questioning and was later released.
“Government is dead serious in bringing back longer sustainable peace (in Mindanao),” he said, noting that after Marawi, they would concentrate on other areas where other terrorist groups were.
