Military says Maute members have sent surrender feelers

Several members of the Maute terrorist group have indicated their willingness to surrender to authorities, the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) said Sunday.

"May mga nakuha tayo na sinasabi ng mga Maute na lalaban sila hanggang kamatayan, but this is not true for everybody... Marami na rin ang gustong sumurrender," Colonel Romeo Brawner Jr., deputy commander of the Joint Task Force Marawi, said in a radio dzBB interview.

"May mga nakukuha na po tayong surrender feelers so we are hoping na lahat na lang sila ay mag-surrender para matapos na itong labanang ito," he added.

Brawner said they received feelers from Maute members after the Joint Task Force Marawi put up speakers blasting out the procedures on how members of the Maure group could surrender.

"Sa ating effort, we have loud speakers na nakatutok sa main battle area at naririnig po nila ito and then ang mensahe po natin dito ay kasama po 'yung procedure na dapat po nilang gawin if they want to surrender," he said.

Those who will surrender — whether combatants or those caught in the crossfire — will go through medical and psychiatric testing.

"Kasama doon sa proseso natin is to determine wheter sila po ay members ng Maute or 'yung napilitan lang sila, or 'yung mga hostages na nagbalik Islam," Brawner said.

"We follow a certain process para madetermine kung ano talaga 'yung involvement nila sa terrorist group at kung pwede pa nating irehabilitate 'yung mga taong 'to," he added.

President Rodrigo Duterte declared martial law in the entire Mindanao region for 60 days starting May 23, following the clash of military troops and the ISIS-linked Maute group in Marawi City.

The period was set to end on July 22, but Duterte asked Congress to extend martial law until December 31 this year.

According to the latest data available from the military, 694 Maute terrorists and 151 government forces have been killed so far in the four-month conflict. —Jon Viktor D. Cabuenas/ALG, GMA News