Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, June 1) — Their only crime was being born with the surname “Maute.”
This was how lawyer Dalomilang Parahiman described a group of relatives who turned themselves in to the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) in Manila on Wednesday, for fear they would be suspected as part of the Maute terror group.
Justice Secretary Vitaliano Aguirre ordered the NBI to investigate the 18 surrenderees, who included two boys aged two and 10.
More than 10 of the 18 who appeared at the NBI carried the surname “Maute.”
“Siguro porke ‘Maute’ sila ay natatakot sila na paghinalaan sila (Maybe because their surname was ‘Maute’ they feared being suspected),” Aguirre said.
“But they are precisely surrendered because they said they want to clear their names. Hindi nila kailanman inaamin na sila ay nagkasala ng crime of rebellion (They never admitted commititng rebellion),” he added.
Parahiman, who is regional director for South Luzon of the National Commission on Muslim Filipinos, said some of those in the group of 18 were also on the list of alleged Maute and Abu Sayyaf members ordered arrested by the government.
Read: More than 100 Maute and Abu Sayyaf members ordered arrested: Justice Dept.
Aguirre said the NBI has yet to confirm if the children were part of the government’s list, but he said it would be ridiculous if the young kids would be charged with rebellion.
“Kung yung batang yun lumalabas na nandito yung kanyang pangalan syempre iki-clear yan, wala naman maniniwalang member ng Maute group yang nainvolve sa rebellion (If these children were found to be on the list, of course they would be cleared. No one will believe they are members of the Maute group involved in rebellion),” Aguirre said.
The children’s relatives also denied being part of the Maute terror group whose clashes with government forces in Marawi City prompted President Rodrigo Duterte to declare martial law throughout Mindanao on May 23.
“These Maute… are law abiding citizens, they are legitimate businessmen,” Paramihan said.
“We know for a fact that Maute is as common as Dela Cruz, Ramos, San Pedro or Pedro. Most of these Maute have been residing in Manila for more than 30 years and they go back to their place in Lanao only to visit,” he added, referring to the province of Lanao Del Sur. Marawi City, where government troops are battling Maute fighters, is the capital of the province.
Parahiman said he will convince 100 other members of the Maute clan in Quezon City to present themselves to authorities to clear their names as well. He said they are his relatives.
The Maute group is believed to have been formed in 2011 in Lanao del Sur by the Maute brothers who are ethnic Maranao in origin. The Maute brothers have close family ties to the leadership of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF), which is in peace talks with the government and is supervising a “peace corridor” to help get humanitarian aid to thousands of evacuees fleeing the clashes.
Also read: Duterte OKs creation of ‘peace corridor’ with MILF in Marawi
The Maute have pledged allegiance to the jihadist group ISIS which seeks to establish a caliphate in the Philippines, although the ISIS has yet to officially acknowledge them.
