Manila (VNA) – Philippine President Rodrigo Dutertesaid on May 26 that he was willing to hold dialogue with the Maute rebels,which have been fighting the Government’s military for three days in Marawicity on Mindanao island.

He said an ongoing siege by Muslim radicals inthe southern city demonstrated that Islamic State (IS) had a presence in thePhilippines, but there was still a chance for peace.

In a speech to soldiers in Iligan city, close toMarawi, the President said that his message mainly to the terrorists on theother side is they can still solve this through dialogue. 

The Maute rebel group has besieged Marawi city,the capital of Lanao Del Sur province, since May 23 when the Government’smilitary was conducting a security campaign. 

President Duterte declared martial law, sayingthe Maute group tried to establish a "daesh" or so-called IslamicState province in Marawi city when they laid siege to the capital of Lanao DelSur.

Addressing the Congress on May 26, PresidentDuterte explained his basis for the declaration of martial art in Mindanao, thearmed siege and acts of violence of the Maute and some Abu Sayyaf fighters weremeant to take control of major social, economic and political foundations ofthe city to lay the groundwork for the eventual establishment of an IS provincein Mindanao.

Duterte said the Maute group was chiefly basedin Lanao Del Sur, but it had extensive links to local and foreign terroristorganisations such as the Abu Sayyaf, Jemaah Islamiyah and Mujahidin IndonesiaTimur.

According to the Philippine army, the Maute group hasMalaysian, Indonesian and Singaporean fighters. 

Zachary Abuza, a Southeast Asian securityexpert, said that government troops could manage the Maute group because it isa small group. Though they havepledged their allegiance to IS, there is no evidence to date that IS has giventhem any resources, the expert said.

Chief of Staff of the Philippine Armed ForcesGeneral Eduardo Año said top terror suspect Isnilon Hapilon was still hiding inthe besieged city of Marawi. Militants are trying to find a way to extricateHapilon.

Philippine troops backed by armored vehicles androcket-firing helicopters were fighting to re-take control of Marawi. The cityhas been under siege by gunmen linked to the IS group since a raid earlier thisweek failed to capture Hapilon, one of Asia's most-wanted militants.-VNA