Marawi siege falls on my shoulders —Duterte

On the eve of the first anniversary of the Marawi siege, President Rodrigo Duterte on Tuesday maintained that he was taking full responsibility for the five months worth of clashes that left the Islamic city in ruins last year

"We had a very sad experience in the Marawi siege. And we all know that we have fallen short in some respects [in] the way it was handled. I assume full responsibility," Duterte said in a speech before members of the Philippine Navy.

Duterte said he had neither anticipated nor guessed that the Maute group would have so much firepower that caused the fighting to drag on for months.

"All of these faults, if it is indeed one of our faults, it belongs and it falls on my shoulders as commander-in-chief. And I assume full responsibility to the nation of what’s going to happen," Duterte said.

He also took the opportunity to congratulate and pay homage to the soldiers and policemen for their efforts in defeating the Maute militia and its sympathizers.

Duterte imposed martial law for the entire Mindanao on May 23 last year, cutting short his trip to Russia to supervise government efforts to crush militants led by the Maute group, whom he said were trying to establish a caliphate for the Islamic State.

"That is a painful realization to be signing something [martial law proclamation] about your country, about the safety of your country, about the safety of the people and to give the orders outside of the Republic of the Philippines," he said.

"I would say that it leaves a dent in my own history when I go out of government service."

The President declared Marawi liberated last October after government troops killed terrorist leaders Isnilon Hapilon and Omar Maute. More than 1,000 people, mostly terror fighters, died amid the clashes.

The government is now in the process of rehabilitating Marawi and nearby towns in Lanao del Sur.

The martial law in Mindanao has been extended by Congress to last until the end of 2018. —NB, GMA News