Palace hits Maute plan to use hostages as suicide bombers

Malacañang on Monday condemned an alleged plan by the pro-ISIS Maute group to use hostages as suicide bombers if it finds itself cornered by government forces.

“We strongly denounce these desperate actions which apparently are carefully calculated to create violent reaction from the general populace in order to create tension between ethnic groups, which the terrorist groups expect to work in favor of their cause,” said Presidential spokesperson Ernesto Abella during The Mindanao Hour. He was reacting to the accounts of three hostages who managed to escape from their captors in Marawi City.

Abella added that government troops will observe "the rules of engagement" for the hostages' safety.

“No less than the Commander-in-Chief has given this primordial consideration and guidance to our troops,” he added.

Meanwhile, Armed Forces of the Philippines spokesperson Brigadier General Restituto Padilla Jr. said that the freed hostages implied that Father Chito Suganob, a priest who has been held hostage by the group for weeks, is still alive.

“The only thing that we’re really seeking to do is to be able to rescue them safe and sound, alive, at the conclusion of this fighting and we’re doing that,” he said.

Fighting erupted in Marawi City between government troops and the Maute group on May 23. The protracted armed conflict has resulted in at least 695 fatalities, including 45 civilians and 122 government troops. — BM, GMA News