Youths in Marawi idolize ISIS, says head of gov’t sports agency

July 27, 2017

Some children evacuees from Marawi City consider the fighters of the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria as their heroes, a government official said on Thursday. In a press briefing in Malacanang, Philippine Sports Commission chairman William Ramirez said a week ago, his office held children's games for peace in an evacuation center in Iligan City. "And to tell you, we were touched and it’s very alarming because a thousand children from Marawi played for fun for the past two days. At the end of the activities, we found out that the children were happy and they started working, playing with Christians also," he said. "But there was one observation that we had that most of our Filipino children considers other people as heroes ---- sports heroes, military heroes… This is not scientific, but it was written by our coaches when we had our children’s games for peace that some, if not many of these Marawi bakwit children, they considered ISIS as their heroes. Wow," he said. Ramirez likened the attitude of the children to those in Iraq and Aleppo. "Just like what happened in Iraq and Aleppo. The ISIS are giving them food. They are giving salaries. And nobody among the department look at these children," he said. He said a normal poor community, children usually say they want to be a teacher or policeman. "Here, it's different. 'Our dream is to become ISIS'," he said quoting some of the young evacuees. He said when the children were asked why they idolize the ISIS, their reply was, "'They give us food and our father was being given salary. There's none from the government'." Ramirez said he told other Cabinet officials about what the children told him. "I think the government must be alarmed," he said, adding the PSC will go back to Iligan and have a special focus on children’s activities. "This is not a very scientific way of intervention but there are research and data that we got all over the world that we are doing fine because all over the world, most of the children’s games are NGOs (non-government organizations)," he said. The ISIS-inspired Maute Terror Group started attacking and occupying Marawi on May 23, prompting Duterte to declare martial law. Ramirez said the government has cancelled the Philippines’ hosting of Southeast Asian Games in 2019 and one of the reasons is due to Marawi crisis. "Through the President (Rodrigo Duterte), ES (Executive Secretary Salvador) Medialdea instructed me to --- not to push through the Southeast Asian Games," he said. He said the government has to use funds to host the SEA Games to rehabilitate Marawi. Ramirez said that after the appeal from Philippine Olympic Committee President Peping Cojuangco to reconsider, the recommendation to cancel hosting of the 2019 SEA Games stays. “Executive Secretary Salvador Medialdea and Senator (Miguel) Zubiri, who’s the chairman (of the Philippines 2019 Southeast Asian Games Organizing Committee) and myself have made a recommendation to the President and we made… Through the President, ES ( Executive Secretary Salvador) Medialdea instructed me to --- not to push through the Southeast Asian Games. (Celerina Monte/DMS)