How did the Maute get high-powered arms?

I saw on my Facebook page the video footage of the various high-powered firearms that the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) captured from the Maute terrorists in Marawi City. Looking at the captured firearms you can really see how well equipped or well-armed the Maute terrorists were as they have a few .50 cal. Barrett sniper rifles, which I'm sure have killed some of the Filipino soldiers who died in the siege of Marawi.

Looking further into this video, it showed that there were only a few AK-47s, but mostly they had American-made M-16s or M-4s and strange-looking sniper rifles of unknown caliber with a huge cache of ammunition, hand and rifle grenades. I tried to count these firearms and reached nearly a hundred firearms, including the revolvers and pistols.

Watching this video footage gave me that comforting thought that these firearms can no longer kill our soldiers, although many of them must have killed a lot of people. So how did the Maute terrorists secure these very expensive firearms? Surely their financial supporters did not purchase these guns in your friendly neighborhood gun dealer? It is the job of the National Bureau of Investigation or military intelligence to find out!

One source can be Cayamora Maute, father of the Maute brothers Omar and Abdullah who was arrested near Davao City last week and their mother, Ominta Romato, a.k.a. Farhana, the first wife of Cayamora Maute who was apprehended only last Friday trying to escape from Marawi City. I'm sure that she was fleeing from the many airstrikes that the AFP were carrying out in Marawi City.

Farhana must have heard that the American surveillance plane, the P-3 Orion was now helping the AFP gather intelligence over Marawi City, hence she must have realized that her life was now in danger. Incidentally the Maute parents were tagged as the financiers of the Maute sons. A proper interrogation of the Maute father and mother would certainly produce stunning results. However, I'm sure that these two won't easily talk about how they purchased those firearms. But this information is essential if we are to totally stop the supporters of the Maute terror group from rearming again.

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During last Monday's Independence Day celebration in Luneta, visibly missing for the flag raising ceremonies was Pres. Rodrigo "Digong" Duterte who did not attend his first Independence Day Flag raising ceremony, leaving Vice President Leni Robredo as the highest official to lead this formal and official ceremony.

This delighted the Yellowtards in Facebook, denouncing the absence of the president, which was a historic first. While Malacañang spokesman Ernesto Abella offered no explanation about the president's absence. Foreign Affairs Secretary Alan Cayetano represented Pres. Duterte during the flag raising event and told the press that the president was not feeling well, noting that the president had engagements in Cagayan de Oro last Sunday.

Cayetano said, "You know the president has been working 24/7, meeting the troops, meeting the commanders, and then late last night, visiting the wounded and the dead. So that's why this morning, he didn't feel that well. Nothing to worry about but it's better for him to rest for now this morning because as you know the target was to liberate Marawi today, June 12."

When the Yellowtards started attacking the president for being absent at the Luneta Flag raising rites, lauding former president Benigno "PNoy" Aquino III who never missed a single Independence Day flag raising ceremony, the Dutertards responded swiftly saying that while this is true, the former president failed to greet the 44 Special Action Force troopers whom he sent to their untimely deaths in the massacre of Mamasapano, opting to grace the inauguration of a car assembly plant! Ouch!

Let me add my own piece on Aquino. Sure he may not have missed a single Independence Day flag raising ceremony, but Aquino who is the representative of the Filipino people never for once wore the Philippine flag on his chest, opting to always wear his yellow ribbon in all official functions either here or abroad. It was as if he wasn't proud of the Philippine flag! Again, shame on former president PNoy Aquino for never wearing the Philippine flag on his chest!

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