THE Palace is studying the proposals to draft the more than 4,000 Maranaos affected by the Marawi siege to join the military and the police, a senior Cabinet official said Tuesday.
“[The President] instructed the Presidential Adviser on Mindanao Affairs, Tesda, the Presidential Adviser on OFW to study ways and means to conscript into the AFP and the PNP at least 4,000 Maranaos affected by the fighting in Marawi and other areas where the Maranaos have settled,” Presidential Spokesman Harry Roque told reporters.
He did not provide details as to how the conscription would take place.
He made his statement even as Armed Forces Chief Leonardo Guerrero predicted a significant negative effect on the ongoing military operations against the threat of terrorism in Mindanao if martial law was lifted.
Guerrero said stopping the one-year extension of martial law in Mindanao would affect the military operations against terrorist elements in Mindanao.
“We expect that there will be a significant effects considering the bulk of military operations we have in Mindanao, and we will be relying and depending on some of the martial law powers,” Guerrero said in Camp Aguinaldo.
Meanwhile, the United States Agency for International Development has allocated an additional P330 million ($6.6 million) to support the vulnerable populations affected by the conflict in Marawi City and surrounding areas.
In a statement, the US Embassy said the fresh assistance would provide opportunities for young women and men to enhance their job skills to find livelihoods and help stimulate the economy.
“This new funding will support some of the most vulnerable populations affected by the conflict,” US Ambassador to Manila Sung Kim said.
The 17th Congress in December extended the declaration of martial law in Mindanao until the end of 2018.