AFP verifying report on parish priest, parishioners taken as hostages by Maute group

The Armed Forces of the Philippines is still verifying reports that the Maute group took as hostages a Catholic parish priest and several parishioners in Marawi City.

“Kailangan po nating i-validate iyang information na iyan na merong hostage etc sapagkat napakaraming unang balitang lumabas na may hisnostage, may pinatay, may pinugutan etc,” AFP public affairs office chief Col. Edgard Arevalo told reporters Wednesday.

“Gusto po nating payapain ang kalooban ng ating mga mamamayan. Basta hindi po tayo maniwala agad sa mga ganitong information,” he added.

He said unverified information being circulated is being used by the local terrorist group to advance their interest.

“Ang kalaban natin dito ay terorista, they are working highly on propaganda.  The more na napapabalita na may ginawa silang karumal-dumal, the more na sumisikat ang kanilang pangalan and the more sila nakakakuha ng attention sa foreign terrorist group,” Arevalo said referring to Maute group and ISIS.

“Kung mapapansin n’yo hindi ko pinapangalanan ang alinmang local terrorist group. We would like to call them purely local terrorist group because we do not want to glorify them by giving their names as a terrorist group,” he added.

In an interview with radio dzBB, Bishop Edwin dela Peña said that Father Chito Suganob and others were in the Cathedral of Our Lady Help of Christians when members of the Maute group forced their way into the cathedral.

The group allegedly took with them Suganob and others as hostages and threatened to kill the hostages if the government forces will continue its offensive against them. — RSJ, GMA News