Intel failure resulted in siege — senators

MANILA, Philippines - Failure of intelligence and coordination among security forces led to the siege in Marawi City that resulted in the declaration of martial law by President Duterte in the entire Mindanao region, several senators said yesterday.

Sen. Gregorio Honasan, chairman of the Senate committee on national defense and security, said there was a failure in the ability of the security forces and local government units (LGUs) to coordinate.

“We must understand that the LGUs are the convergence points on this. We need to harness the information gathering capability and reporting in place,” said Honasan, a retired Army officer.

Now that the President has declared martial law, Honasan said it is important for the public not to overreact because the situation is localized and contained.

He said there is a need to regulate the entry of people in the affected areas in order to prevent infiltration of terrorist elements.

Sen. Panfilo Lacson, a former chief of the Philippine National Police (PNP), said that there was a failure of intelligence, considering that such a huge number of armed personnel from the Maute group was able to take over critical areas in Marawi.

“We should have learned our lesson from Mamasapano (Maguindanao). The planning should include the extrication, cover and buffer, all of these things. But why did it happen again?” Lacson said, referring to the operation conducted against Abu Sayyaf group leader Isnilon Hapilon in Marawi City.

As far as the declaration of martial law is concerned, Lacson aired his confidence that the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) is professional enough to handle the situation without committing any abuses.

The important thing now, Lacson said, is to contain the Maute members because he suspects they are trying to project themselves as being engaged in a religious war.

The PNP denied that there was failure of intelligence in Marawi and claimed that the police knew about the planned attack by the Islamic State (IS)-inspired Maute group in Marawi City a week before the clashes that started on Tuesday night.?An official of the PNP Directorate for Intelligence who requested anonymity said the intelligence information about the attack was relayed to authorities on May 17, or a week before government troops engaged an armed group that has pledged allegiance to IS.

“There was no failure of intelligence. We got the information and relayed them to the ground,” he added.

The source, however, refused to categorically say if PNP chief Director General Ronald dela Rosa was informed about the threat.?“The information was disseminated, passed on to the proper authorities,” the source said. “As early as May 17, we have already relayed the information to the ground.”?Dela Rosa and Chief Supt. Reuben Theodore Sindac, police director of the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao, were both part of the entourage of President Duterte in his visit to Russia.  –  With Cecille Suerte Felipe