PNP releases 3 people surnamed Maute  

July 12, 2017

Philippine National Police Director General Ronald Dela Rosa said Wednesday there is no "reasonable ground" to hold three persons surnamed Maute, which were taken in for questioning at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport on July 10. "It is not proven that those Maute are with the Maute that staged the rebellion in Marawi", Dela Rosa said. Ashary Maute, Yasser Maute, Al Nizar Maute, Abdulrahman Maute, Abdulcahar Maute, Acmali Mawiyag and Mawiyag Cota were stopped in NAIA 3 terminal from boarding a flight to Kuala Lumpur. Abdulcahar Maute, Mawiyag and Cota were freed earlier. On Tuesday, reports said  Yasser Maute and his two sons. Al Nisar and Abdulrahman, were freed. Dela Rosa did not if Ashary Maute is still being held. "If an additional information come up linking them, then they will not be cleared but as of now... they are cleared that is why we released them. But later on if we saw that these people are involved in the battle in Marawi then we will have a reasonable ground to hold them", said Dela Rosa. He said "all major cities in Mindanao are under threat" of a Maute attack. "Throughout our assessment according to the plan of Maute that we got in the video, if they can't take, aside from Marawi, they can attack Iligan, the other cities of Mindanao", he said. He said martial law should be extended to assure "safety and security" of the whole Mindanao. Dela Rosa agrees with President Rodrigo Duterte who said Tuesday the war in Marawi against the Maute group will be over in 15 days. "That's a very good assessment coming from the president", he said. "He is  very much aware of the situation, his being brief every now and then about the situation there that is wh he came up with that assessment", he added. Dela Rosa said the Senate want to help the PNP in enhancing their capability to counter the terrorism. "The Senate was asking us particularly in PNP how they can help through legislation,  how they can help improving capacity", he said. He cited the PNP's commitment in the hijacking and kidnapping problem in the high seas of the tri-boundaries between Philippines, Malaysia and Indonesia as an example of things that needs to be enhanced. The Indonesian national police and Malaysian police committed to send helicopters and ships to guard the tri-ounderies, Dela Rosa said. " The PNP we can commit only this much because our ships are small and our floating assets. That is why the Senate want to enhance the capability of the PNP to counter terrorism", he said. (Alanna Ambi/DMS)