Duterte: I have to visit Marawi while fight still ongoing

President Rodrigo Duterte on Friday said he needed to visit Marawi City himself to check on troops at the frontlines of the government's battle against pro-ISIS Maute Group fighters in the besieged city.

Duterte made the pronouncement during an unannounced visit in Iligan City as he tried to visit Marawi once again, but canceled because of the weather.

“I have to be with the men, the fighting forces of the government. I should show my face there. Hindi naman pwede iyang peace time ka na pumunta,” he said in a brief interview posted on the Facebook page of the Presidential Communications Office.

“Hindi naman na you place yourself in jeopardy, but during the fighting, you should show yourself, that you are one in the desire to protect the Republic,” he added.

He noted that it was his second time to try to visit Marawi.

“This is the second time. The last time I was not able to go in because also of the weather. Dito naman, ngayon ganoon din nangyari. We were circling many times but we could not penetrate, the weather was really squall,” he said.

Marawi City has been under siege since May 23, when Maute fighters attacked several key installations in the city. Duterte declared martial law in Mindanao that evening.

Duterte said the decision to lift martial law rests upon security forces.

“Ang magsabi sa 'kin na hindi na kritikal, ang Armed Forces at ang pulis. I do not have an independent study of how things are in the ground. It’s not my job, I cannot do it, physically even,” he said.

“'Pag sinabi na wala ng delikado and everything is okay, then that is the time we lift martial law, otherwise,” he added.

The Armed Forces of the Philippines earlier said it would give its recommendation on martial law as early as next week.

Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana has previously expressed hope to end the fighting in Marawi in time for Duterte's second State of the Nation Address on July 24. —JST, GMA News