The Philippine National Police (PNP) is currently investigating a former police officer after his identification card was found in the territory of the local Maute Terrorist Group in Marawi City.
Authorities said that the identification card was found in one of the known hideouts of the enemy. Though they refused to announce the name, they revealed that the card bearer was once assigned at Antipolo, Rizal Province in the Northern Philippines.
Investigators said that the police officer, who is suspected to be the owner of the card, went on Absence Without Leave (AWOL) in 2014 and has not reported to his area of responsibility since then. PNP Chief Ronaldo Dela Rosa told journalists that the police agency has lost contact with him after following the incident.
"The latest update we have was he converted to Islam after he was invited by a Muslim Policeman from Basilan," Dela Rosa added.
Dela Rosa further said that they are not making any conclusion yet, but are possibilities that the police officer gave his ID to someone else and it eventually landed in the terrorists' territory.
Joint military and police security forces have recaptured many villages in Marawi City from the clutches of the Maute Terrorists Group and now the terrorists are confined to only two villages. On 23 May, this year, around 700 heavily armed members of the Maute and Abu Sayyaf Terrorist Group raided Marawi and engaged in a firefight with government security forces. Fortunately, Philippine security forces recently said that they are now nearing the nerve center of the terrorist group and the battle will be over soon.
