Senators visit Marawi’s main battle area; dare gov’t officials to do the same

Zubiri dared those who oppose the passage of the BBL to visit the war-ravaged city. (Photo: Senator Migz Zubiri/Facebook)

Two senators encouraged government officials and those who are against the Bangsamoro Basic Law (BBL) to visit the main battle of war-damaged Marawi City so they could personally see the extent of the destruction caused by the ISIS-inspired Maute Group.

BBL Senate sub-committee chairman Senator Juan Miguel Zubiri, together with Senators Sonny Angara, Bam Aquino, JV Ejercito, Risa Hontiveros and Cynthia Villar, visited on Friday the Marawi’s ground zero, eight months after the Islamic-State inspired Maute terrorist group waged war in the city on May 23, 2017.

“Government officials should visit para makita nila yung extent ng destruction, kung gaano ka-grabe at kailangan yung recovery dito (so they could see the extent of the destruction, how intense it is and how we should implement the recovery),” Angara was quoted as saying in an Inquirer report.

Zubiri then dared those who oppose the passage of the BBL to visit the war-ravaged city.

“Para sa mga tutol sa Bangsamoro Basic Law [to those who are against Bangsamoro Basic Law],  please visit Marawi City. Ayaw niyong mangyari sa mga siyudad ninyo. To end the extremist violence, please visit Maawi City and you will see ayaw ninyong mangyari ito sa inyo [you don’t want the same thing to happen to you],” he added.

Zubiri stressed that Bangsamoro people need the ammunition of BBL.

“Even leaders of the MILF (Moro Islamic Liberation Front) they say give us the ammunition, it’s not guns it’s not bullets, sabi nila (they say) give us the ammunition of BBL so we would stop our people from supporting these extremists,” Zubiri said.

Senators Sonny Angara applauded the courage of Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) to regain and liberate Marawi from the hands of Maute fighters.

“I think, coming here, you appreciate rin yung ginawa ng AFP dito [what AFP did]. They saved us from being an outpost of terrorism in the world. Maging Syria tayo, maging Iraq tayo kung hindi ginawa ng AFP yan [We would have been like Syria and Iraq if AFP didn’t do it],” he said.

Aquino, who is also a member of the Senate minority bloc, said that the passage of the BBL should be “at the soonest possible time.”