Duterte to Maute: Give us time to rebuild Marawi

MARAWI CITY, May 12, 2018 — “Give us time to rebuild Marawi,” President Rodrigo Roa Duterte appealed to the Maute armed group in Marawi on Friday.

He appealed to the ISIS-inspired armed rebels to allow the government fully rebuild Marawi City, torn by a 5-month-long war between government troops and the extremists.

“Give us time to rebuild, give us time to establish the goodwill, at I’m inviting the other Maute or whatever, nakikipag-away dito sa Marawi, you come down and we will talk how we can improve your lives,” Duterte said.

Saying it is useless for the government to fight rebels for nobody really wins in a war, Duterte spoke of a conciliatory tone with the rebels as he urged them to come out and hold talks with the Philippine government.

“So, I propose to you, kayong mga ibang mga Maranao, bumaba na lang kayo at nakita ninyo ‘yung armas ninyo, wala talagang purpose,” Duterte said.

Duterte proposed this during the presentation of surrendered loose firearms from civilians and distribution of cash assistance and scholarship to 3 of the 27 ISIS-inspired rebels who earlier surrendered to government authorities.

In his speech, Duterte also warned anew about the dangers of entertaining radicalized ideology, citing the destruction that befell Marawi.

“Mga kapatid kong taga-Marawi, [ang] government talagang gusto ng kapayapaan. Hindi namin gustong pumunta dito ang gobyerno at makipag-patayan. That is a waste of time and money and lives. At the end of the day, lahat ‘yang armas na ‘yan makita mo, it does not really mean anything. It has not succeeded its purpose. Nagamit lahat ‘yan, maraming namatay. And today we are back again talking about peace,” he said.

“Ang ISIS naman, walang ginawa kung hindi pumatay at magsira. Eh bakit tayo susunod sa kanila?”

Over 1,000 people, mostly ISIS-inspired terrorists, were killed during the 5-month siege. The siege also displaced over 200,000 residents, and the government has yet to fully open the city to civilians, some of whom wish to rebuild their homes and bring their lives back to normal.

The government has launched a P72-billion rehabilitation program for Marawi. - With stories from agencies/RSP