Duterte admits failure of intelligence in Marawi City

President Rodrigo Duterte on Monday admitted there was a failure of intelligence in Marawi City.

"There was a failure of intelligence. There were tunnels. Maute was stocking explosives. Nagkamali kami doon. There was a mistake in the evaluation or assessment," Duterte said in a press conference after an unprecedented visit to protesters outside the Batasan Pambansa Complex right after his second State of the Nation Address.

Duterte had blamed Maranaos for allowing terrorists infiltrate the war-torn city.

The President had been wondering how the Maute group is not running out of firearms and ammunition even after several weeks of fighting.

Duterte placed Mindanao under martial law following the Maute group's attack in the city last May 23.

He initially set a time frame of 60 days for the implementation of martial law in the southern region, but asked Congress for an extension of five more months or until Dec. 31, 2017.

The Armed Forces of the Philippines said more than 570 people, mostly members of the Maute group, have been killed in the ongoing conflict in the city.

The conflict has also displaced at least 400,000 people.

The military added that 526 firearms have been retrieved by troops in cleared areas in the city. 

Authorities believe that the remaining members of the Maute group are holed up in only four villages in downtown Marawi. —ALG, GMA News