Botching Marawi rehab could fuel extremism — US defense center

MANILA, Philippines — The Philippines needs to get the rehabilitation of war-torn Marawi City right in order to prevent another round of extremism-related violence from exploding, according to the director of an American center that addresses regional and global issues.

Bungling the rehabilitation of the Islamic town could lead to discontent among the more than 300,000 displaced residents which militants could capitalize on for recruitment and support, according to Rear Adm. (Ret.) Peter Gumataotao, director of the Daniel. K. Inouye Asia-Pacific Center for Security Studies.

Gumataotao said that this should prod the government and other stakeholders to unite and collaborate in the rehabilitation process.

He said that the Philippine government currently was in the right direction in its efforts to rebuild the lakeside town, scene of a five-month long battle between the country’s security forces and militants inspired by the Islamic State group, as it was applying the lessons it learned from the rehabilitation of areas devastated by Super Typhoon Haiyan in 2013.

“We are in a very critical phase in Marawi in countering violent extremism. The whole-of-government approach you are showing is the perfect direction. It’s the right direction,” Gumataotao said in an interview on the sideline of APCSS Workshop on Countering Violent Extremism: Recent Lessons and Urgent Priorities.

He added, “If you guys do not manage to work together as a whole of government with the local government down there then it will open up for more people that are disenfranchised.”

He also stressed that the problem of violent extremism, faced not just by the Philippines but by many countries in the region and around the world, could not be addressed by a military solution alone.

He said that what was needed was a “whole-of-government approach” that would bring together the national government, local government units, community and religious leaders.

“You don’t solve this problem of violent extremism with a bullet because it’s like a hydra. You shoot one violent extremist you create a hundred and fifty more,” he said.

The five-month battle between the Armed Forces and militants started burned from May to October last year following a botched attempt by Islamist fighters to transform Marawi into the capital of its province in Southeast Asia.

President Rodrigo Duterte placed Marawi and the whole Mindanao, which has a population of 22 million, under military rule, which has since been extended until the end of the year.

Estimates showed that at least P50 billion would be needed to restore the lakeside town, whose central business district was destroyed by the intense fighting.

Gumataotao said that participants in the workshop recognized that militants were doing recruitment and networking efforts on campuses and on the internet.

He said that students may have views that could easily be radicalized.

The APCSS director said that many radical groups were also using the internet to connect and radicalize people with like-minded interests from different locations.

He also underscored that the problem of violent extremism around the world was complex which could not be solved by a single solution.

“There is no cookie-cutter approach” to countering violent extremism, he said.