Spokesperson Zia Alonto-Adiong of the Provincial Crisis Management Committee in a press briefing at the Provincial Capitol in Marawi on Wednesday, June 21. (Alex D. Lopez/davaotoday.com)
DAVAO CITY, Philippines – If reports that some children in Marawi City idolize the Islamic State are true, then such is a classic case that some people in Mindanao have no attachment to the government.
This was the reaction made by Lanao del Sur’s Provincial Crisis Committee spokesperson Zia Alonto-Adiong in a phone interview by Davao Today on Saturday.
But Adiong clarified that he cannot confirm the reports made by Philippine Sports Commission chair William Ramirez on some Marawi children seeing ISIS members as their heroes.
“We cannot confirm on that because we do not know which evacuation site in Iligan City the sports activity of PSC was held and how many children did say they idolize the members of ISIS,” Adiong said.
During the Mindanao Hour press briefing on Thursday, Ramirez expressed alarm over reports that some Marawi children who are now staying at evacuation sites in Iligan City idolize the members of ISIS by making them as their heroes.
Such situation, Ramirez said, was reported to them by coaches who joined the PSC during the children’s games for peace in Iligan facilitated more than a week ago.
“But there was one observation that we had that most of our Filipino children consider other people as heroes —- sports heroes, military heroes. But here, we don’t have research, we don’t have — 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,” the PSC chair said.
Ramirez added that the government must be alarmed by the situation as the PSC, he said will go back to the evacuation centers to give special focus on children’s activities, particularly on their sports activities.
In a separate press briefing on Friday, Armed Forces of the Philippines spokesperson Brig. Gen. Restituto Padilla, Jr., also told reporters that the military is already aware that some children from Marawi do idolize the ISIS.
“Nakarating na po sa’min ‘yan at nakuha na rin namin ‘yung input na ‘yan actually noong pangatlo o pangalawang linggo pa lang ng bakbakan. Dahil meron po tayong mga nagmagandang loob na mga civil society organizations who are all for peace, who have visited the evacuation centers to take care of the children affected by the conflict,” Padilla said.
These children, he added, still do not understand what is happening on their surroundings, Padilla added.
Adiong reiterated that solving the crisis in Marawi cannot be achieved by military solution alone, saying that a much comprehensive approach is needed to its complete end.
“The fight against terrorism cannot be solved by bullets. Experience will tell us that military action alone cannot serve the purpose of the government to eradicate the problems of rebellion, how much more terrorism?” Adiong pointed out.
If indeed there are children from Marawi who idolize terrorists then the government must now apply bigger and comprehensive programs so that people must feel that their welfares are being given importance and care, he added.
One month into the Marawi crisis, Adiong also made it a point for the government to address the injustices against the Moro people, an issue that is being utilized by the terrorists to win the hearts and minds, especially of the youth.(davaotoday.com)
