ExclusivePhilippines armed forces to quell conflict, keep Dutertenomics on track, finance secretary says

An armed conflict in Marawi City has not spread, and has not derailed the government’s ambitious infrastructure and social programme, said Philippine Secretary of Finance Carlos Dominguez III.

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Philipine marines on their way to an assault on the hideout of Muslim militants near the town center in Marawi, in southern island of Mindanao on May 28, 2017. Islamist militants who have gone on a rampage in a southern Philippine city have killed 19 civilians including women and children, the military said on May 28, as fighting entered the sixth day. Photo: AFP

Published: 7:30am, 15 Jun 2017Updated: 11:40pm, 6 Jul 2017

The Philippines’ security forces will take military action over the next few weeks to eliminate the threat of armed militants in the nation’s southernmost province to maintain peace and stability, and keep President Rodrigo Duterte’s US$167 billion infrastructure programme on track, the country's finance secretary said on Wednesday.

Duterte last month placed the whole of Mindanao, the country’s second-largest island, under martial law after members of the radical extremist faction known as the Maute group attacked Marawi City, the capital of Lanao del Sur province.

Interview with Secretary of Finance of the Republic of Philippines, Carlos G Dominguez III, at the Island Shangri-La Hotel in Admiralty. Photo: Xiaomei Chen

The conflict “has been contained in certain areas” and “has not spread” while martial law is in place, Philippine Secretary of Finance Carlos Dominguez III told the South China Morning Post, as the country sought to assure global investors that the situation was under control.

“The imposition of martial law can last for only 60 days” and can only be extended by explicit authorisation from the Philippine Congress, Dominguez said. “The conflict is not expected to be a continuing disruption.”

The Philippines' ambitious package of economic and social initiatives, dubbed “Dutertenomics”, remains intact, with none of the major projects planned for Mindanao being delayed, he said.

He pointed out that the Philippines intends to finance 80 per cent of those projects from domestic sources and 20 per cent from foreign investors.