MANILA: Amid the prolonged crisis in Marawi City, the United States has turned over 1,000 gas masks and C2 filter canisters to the Philippine military.
“Officials from the Joint United States Military Assistance Group (JUSMAG) delivered 1,000 M40 field protective masks and C2 filter canisters to the Philippine Navy (PN) through the Mutual Logistics Support Agreement (MLSA),” the US Embassy Manila said in a statement on Saturday, Sept. 2.
The transfers were made August 30 and 31 at the Marine Barracks Rudiardo Brown, Taguig City.
The M-40 field protective mask has been used for years by US Armed Forces. The facepiece can protect the user from field concentrations of chemical and biological agents, along with radiological fallout particles
The Philippine Navy requested these gas masks to better prepare their sailors and marines to respond to chemical threats as the fighting continues in Mindanao, according to the US embassy.
“This transfer is part of a series of ongoing transfers from the US military to multiple branches of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) through both MLSA and the security assistance program,” read the statement.
Through the MLSA, the AFP is able to receive select munitions and equipment from US military stock in an accelerated process reserved for allies and close partners of the United States.
“The United States is proud to work closely with the Republic of the Philippines and will continue to support capacity-building counterterrorism efforts and the AFP’s long-term modernization goals,” the embassy further said.
This aid is one of many recent deliveries from the US as part of Washington’s commitment to help enhance the AFP’s counterterrorism capabilities.
On August 23 to 24, the Commander of the United States Pacific Command, Adm. Harry B. Harris Jr., visited the Philippines to meet with Philippine military and government leadership.
During his visit, Harris met with President Rodrigo Duterte to discuss US support to the Philippine government for ongoing efforts to end the conflict in Marawi, as well as military interoperability and regional threats.
Harris’ visit comes as the crisis in Marawi drags on, significantly increasing concerns about terrorist activity in the southern Philippines and broadly, in Southeast Asia.
Duterte in May placed the whole southern island of Mindanao under martial law following the Maute attack in Marawi, which is the biggest Muslim-majority city in the country.
On Friday, Duterte said he has considered lifting the martial law, but a possible spillover of the terror crisis to other parts of the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) held him back.
“I was thinking that we could, you know, lift it earlier. But the way it looks, parang may spillover na sa ARMM (it seems there is a spillover in ARMM),” Duterte said in a speech before troops during the 11th founding anniversary of the Eastern Mindanao Command (Eastmincom) in Davao City.
“Let us see, if it’s to the interest of the country that I will lift it, I will lift it. But if not then, we’ll just have to continue with the martial law,” he added.
Also, last week, Duterte announced that he is giving the military the option to decide on whether or not to bomb mosques where Mautes were are still holed up. And that is even if there are hostages still inside.
“The option is already yours because we cannot have a stalemate for over one year,” he said, as he admitted that he was the reason why the crisis in Marawi has been prolonged.
He said the option to bomb the mosques to capture or kill the leaders of the Maute group has always been on deck, but he refused as “this will just create more animosity and outright hostility in the government.”
This time, however, Duterte is giving the military the free hand to decide on the matter to finally liberate the city from the Daesh-inspired local terror group.