The scheduled visit of President Rodrigo Duterte to the government troops fighting members of the Maute group linked to Islamic State (ISIS) here was cancelled Thursday afternoon.
With the capture of leading personalities in the Maute Group, Eastern Mindanao Command Deputy Spokesperson Brig. Gen. Gilbert Gapay said there will be more arrests as the army turns more "aggressive and proactive" in hunting those wanted by the government in relation to the Marawi siege.
Army spokesperson Capt. Rhyan Batchar said the government's anti-insurgency campaign against the New People's Army remains unabated despite the ongoing Marawi seige.
The PASAKA Confederation of Lumad Organizations in Southern Mindanao, an alliance of several town-based Lumad organizations expressed indignation at the joint resolution issued by the Regional Peace and Order Council 11 and the Regional Defense Council 11, which urged the office of the president to review the existing memorandum of agreement between the Department of Social Welfare and Development and PASAKA.
As Palparan now faces trial for kidnapping and serious detention, more cases such as those in Mindanao would show how his bloody legacy in Luzon has also cast a long shadow in the country.