LANAO DEL SUR, Philippines — Adults are now subject to the evening curfew in Cotabato City as part of security measures intended to insulate its 37 barangays from religious extremists.
Halima Satol-Ibrahim, chief information officer of the Cotabato City government, told The STAR on Sunday that adults are now covered by the 10:30 p.m. nightly curfew, initially intended only for minors.
“This is to ensure the safety of the city’s Muslim, Christian and Lumad residents,” Satol-Ibrahim told The STAR.
The city government has also been implementing since Tuesday, after hostilities in Marawi City erupted, a “no entry” policy for outsiders without identification cards.
Residents support the security measures, having witnessed in years past abductions of merchants and entrepreneurs in the city, as well as deadly bombings.
Cotabato City Mayor Cynthia Guiani-Sayadi, chairperson of the inter-agency city peace and order council, has been leading police and personnel of the Army’s 5th Special Forces Battalion in patrolling the city streets after curfew.
“The city government is not taking chances,” Satol-Ibrahim said.
Cotabato City is only 148 kilometers from Marawi City through the Secretary Narciso Ramos Highway.
Maj. Gen. Carlito Galvez of the Western Mindanao Command earlier said there are more than 20 terrorist cells in central Mindanao, where Cotabato City is located, that are identified with the Maute terror group.
The group, also known as the Dawlah Islamiya Philippines, was established more than two years ago by siblings Abdullah and Omar Maute.
Maute and Abu Sayyaf gunmen attacked different barangays in Marawi City on Tuesday after an encounter with soldiers that raided their hideout in Barangay Basak Malulut there.
Soldiers and Marines, backed by personnel of the police’s elite Special Action Force, have been working to clear Marawi City of terrorists since Tuesday.