Palace: Recovered money from Maute den accumulated in the past two years

The millions of cash found inside a stronghold of the Maute group in Marawi City was accumulated for the past two years, a Malacañang spokesperson said Tuesday.

At a news briefing, presidential spokesperson Ernesto Abella said the P52.2 million in cold cash was compiled from 2014 to 2016.

“I did inquire and apparently the money has been compiled over from the time of… within 2014 and 2016. So it… I mean, all I can say is that, that it’s the… based on the records I think, it has been, it has been slowly accumulated over the past two years,” Abella said.

However, Abella said that details of where the millions came from were yet to be revealed.

But he was “sure” that Anti-Money Laundering Council would be part of the progression of the investigation.

The members of the Philippine Marines also found P27 million worth of checks inside the Maute lair, aside from the P52.5 million in cash.

Abella also pointed out that the recovered cash and checks were turned over to the headquarters of the Task Force Marawi for safekeeping.

“This debunks the claim that troops have been involved in looting as alleged by some quarters. The AFP [Armed Forces of the Philippines] clearly shows it’s doing its job with honor, integrity and stands on high moral high ground,” he said. — RSJ, GMA News