Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) Chief of Staff General Eduardo Ano said the military will give the remaining terrorists in Marawi a “chance to go to heaven”.

“That’s our main goal, no way out, no way in, if they want to join, they want to go to heaven like what they said, so we will give them the chance to go to heaven,” Ano told reporters in an ambush interview in Pasay City Tuesday morning.

Ano confirmed that based on their information the Maute brothers as well Isnilon Hapilon are still in the 500 square meter battle area in Marawi City.

“Yes as far as we know Abdullah and Omar (Maute) are still there,” he said.

Since the AFP are preparing for one big battle for the last phase of fighting in Marawi, the armed forces and the Philippine National Police (PNP) on Tuesday deployed, a total of 100 female soldiers and policewomen to assist on the rehabilitation and recovery for the city.

The female forces include 60 enlisted personnel from the Philippine Army and 40 non-commissioned police officers.

“Their mission is to assist in the implementation of programs that will help IDPs who have been traumatized by their experience in the ongoing rebellion in the city,” Col. Edgard Arevalo, AFP Public Affairs chief said.

“The all-female Civil Relations Company (CRC) will be deployed to Marawi to form part of an inter-agency team that shall assist in the implementation of rehabilitation and recovery programs for Internally- Displaced Persons (IDPs) in the battle-stricken city,” he added.

“The CRC may also serve as a mother or elder sister figure to the evacuees, especially the youth, to help alleviate their conditions in various evacuation centers,” Arevalo noted.

According to Arevalo, prior to their send off in Villamor Air Base led by Ano, “the CRC completed the required pre-deployment training organized by the AFP Civil-Military Operations School, and Teach Peace, Build Peace Movement from 21 to 25 August 2017.”

“The deployment of the all-female CRC is one of the efforts of the Joint AFP-PNP Civil Relations Committee (JAPCRC). It seeks to promote and enable the coordination and synchronization of AFP Civil-Military Operations and PNP Police Community Relations on matters relating to national security and development,” he said.

Arevalo said the CRC will be under the operational control of Western Mindanao Command.

“They will be positioned in evacuation centers as well as in communities that significantly need rehabilitation,” he said. Robina Asido/DMS