President Rodrigo Duterte wants the crisis in Marawi City to end before October. In his latest remark at the 116th Balangiga Encounter Day in Eastern Samar on Thursday, Duterte expressed hope to see the end of the Marawi crisis by the end of the month. “Today, we are still fighting but I hope that by the end of the month, we’d be able to resolve the issue,” he said. “As I have said, we are all Filipinos and if by the grace of God, we’re able to finish everything, the business of stopping the rebellion, not necessarily killing, we will be happy,” he added. On Wednesday, Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana said the Marawi siege would possibly end by September 30. Duterte, meanwhile, reiterated that there would be no fanfare when the soldiers completely take back Marawi. “Sinabi ko naman sa mga Maranao, mga Moro doon na I will leave some of the soldiers of the Engineering Brigade to help rebuild your city. And we will do that. At sinabi ko, ‘We will rebuild Marawi,’” he said. Duterte on Wednesday met with the United Kingdom Prime Minister’s Trade Envoy to the Philippines Richard Graham in Malacañang where he said Mindanao would be a good place for investments once the fighting would be over. “President Duterte stressed that once the conflict in Marawi City ends, Mindanao could be a promising place for investments to come in,” a press release from Malacañang read. — RSJ, GMA News
