There has been no word on the whereabouts of Fr Teresito “Chito” Suganob and others taken hostage by Islamist militants four weeks ago from Marawi’s Catholic Cathedral.
Decomposing bodies were still to be retrieved from the streets of Marawi, whose population at the last census was 200,000, as the battle between government forces and Islamist militias continued for control of the city in the southern Philippines island of Mindanao. More than 1,000 terrified Christians are believed trapped but some have reportedly escaped, wearing hijabs borrowed from Muslim friends.
The fighting has taken a heavy toll on both sides, and the Government sent in more troops after President Rodrigo Duterte rejected negotiations with Maute and Abu Sayyaf militants. Around 330 people have been killed in four weeks of fighting.
“With the presence of well-trained Islamic State foreign fighters and snipers among the terrorists many military experts are saying that it will be a protracted war,” said Fr Paul Glynn, Columban Director in the Philippines, who visited Mindanao last week. “The military are finding it difficult to respond to the rocket-propelled grenades being used against them and the terrorists’ ammunition is not yet depleted,” he reported. “Every day more troops are being deployed to Marawi, as casualties on both sides mount up.”
Christian and Muslim religious organisations are co-operating to help people in temporary evacuation centres. With the huge influx of evacuees to the city of Cagayan de Oro, the Interfaith Forum there has been hard-pressed. Last week Columbans brought sacks of rice and canned goods to three of the city mosques housing evacuees. “They hugged us profusely,” said Fr Glynn. “One man said: ‘You have brought us a lot of food; but even if it was only one kilo of rice, we will never forget your kindness as Christians to us Muslims.’”
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