“It is imperative to document our trials, failures, lessons learned, and the success of the Philippine Army in the Battle of Marawi which led to the eventual neutralization of the ISIS-Maute Terrorist Group in order to prevent a similar incident from happening in the future.”
— Lt Gen Rolly Bautista
It was the refusal of the terrorists to release their hostages and to surrender, despite the numerous pleas and attempts made to convince them to do so, which forced the hand of the government to engage them in the fierce Battle of Marawi which eventually caused the destruction of this historic city.
The series of publications that was undertaken by the Office of the Operations Research Center of the Philippine Army (ORCPA) starting with this book, Marawi and Beyond: The Joint Task Force Marawi Story, documents the various aspects in the Battle of Marawi from that fateful morning of the 23rd of May 2017 when Army troopers raided the safehouse of Isnilon Hapilon in Bgy Basak, Malutlot, Marawi City until the start of the rehabilitation efforts of the administration of President Duterte.
After collating and going through all the available materials from the entire JTF Marawi, the ORCPA felt compelled to release a no-holds-barred narration of the liberation of Marawi in two versions: one for members of the general public and another that is strictly intended for the use of the Philippine Army.
JTF Marawi’s operational concepts, doctrines, TTPs, protocols, guidelines, and other important data are presented in an exclusive series of handbooks for the Philippine Army’s internal use. These 21 volumes of handbooks bring to light the numerous challenges that the members of the JTF Marawi faced. For the general public, a series of 7 handbooks will be released.
Their trials, experiences, interventions, innovations, lessons learned, leadership, as well as the other facets of the operations throughout the grueling five-month long battle are presented. We in the Philippine Army fought hard and gave our best.
The Philippine Army believes that by coming out with a series of handbooks, intended for our internal and external use, a lot can be learned from it, most especially since it is a firsthand documentation, and a tell-all narration.
This book, together with the series of 21 handbooks written exclusively for the Philippine Army’s internal use and 7 handbooks for the general public, will allow our peers to view what we did objectively, give us their opinions, and enlighten us on our shortcomings, so that together we can better serve our people. It will also allow historians and Filipinos to know about what actually went on during those darkest days of Marawi City’s captivity.
While we leave it to the next generation to judge the significance of the liberation of Marawi, we, your soldiers of the Philippine Army, shall continue to live up to our motto: serving the people and protecting the land.
Lt Col Jo-ar Herrera, Assistant Chief of Staff for CMO, G7, 1ID (Tabak) and JTF Marawi spokesperson, frequently engaged the LGUs, key influencers, local leaders, respected elders, and various members of the community in Marawi City throughout the crisis which earned their trust and respect for the men and women in uniform.
Female warriors of JTF Marawi highlighted the importance of the soft power approach as they took part in relief operations in partnership with the Provincial Government of Lanao del Sur under the supervision of the CMOCC.
The Battle of Marawi was not purely a war of firepower supremacy but also a race to dominate the social media world. Unknown to many, prior to the Battle of Marawi, G7, 1ID (Tabak) was already training 70 personnel from the division to equip them with the necessary knowledge, skills, and equipment for engaging in social media.
During the first week of the crisis, the CMOCC anticipated and felt the need of the IDPs living in evacuation centers for relief. CMOCC quickly mobilized the military working hand-in-hand with their PNP counterparts to commence relief operations-handing out of care packages, hot meals, and face-to-face dialogues with IDPs to find out their concerns so that they could be attended to.
JTF Marawi went out of its way to establish a good solid working relationship with local and international media practitioners and their outfits, to reveal the truth to the country and the rest of the world about the ongoing operations in the Battle of Marawi.
EDITORIAL BOARD
LTGEN ROLANDO JOSELITO D BAUTISTA AFP
Commanding General, Philippine Army
MGEN ROBERT M AREVALO AFP
Vice Commander, Philippine Army
MGEN DANILO CHAD D ISLETA AFP
Chief of Staff, Philippine Army
MGEN GILBERT I GAPAY AFP
Former Chief of Staff, Philippine Army
LTCOL JO-AR A HERRERA (INF) PA
Director, Operations Research Center (P),
Philippine Army
ISABEL COJUANGCO SUNTAY
Editor-at-Large
Enrique A Suarez
Mavreen P Yapchiongco
Assistant Editors
Nenia A Dulom
Lead Writer
Marlon C Magtira
Ma Sheyna Elayne G Delos Reyes CE OAGAD, PA
Melrick B Lucero CE
Abner H Manuel Jr CE OG2, PA
Chryss Frederick R Pascual CE OG5, PA
Bernadette N Patañag
Paolo K Mangulabnan CE RDC, ASCOM, PA
Samantha Nicole C Suarez OG6, PA
Sgt William C Sajul (MS), PA
Derkie Alfonso
Ian Irving C Bacungan
Llynette Shiela R Binasoy
Atty Melvin G Calimag
Ivon Claire C Domingo
Mereniza D Gomez
Juan Paolo L Magtira
Princess Fame I Pascua
Pamela Chelsea M Ortiz CE OG3, PA
Contributing Writers
Harold E Canlas
Jayrald M Vasquez
Pfc Marlon B Malalis (Inf) PA ORC (P), PA
Pfc Jerry R Sibuyan (Inf) PA ORC (P), PA
Graphic Artists
1st Infantry (Tabak) Division, PA
Civil-Military Operations Regiment (P), PA
Joint Task Force Marawi
Civil Relations Service, AFP
Special Operations Command
First Scout Ranger Regiment
Special Forces Regiment (Airborne)
Mechanized Infantry Division
Presidential Photo
Richel V Umel
Cpl Caesar P Lopez I, PA
Ssg Amable B Milay Jr PAF
Teodoro Aljibe
Agence France-Presse
Tarlac Heritage Foundation
Photos Contribution
Production Team Support Staff
MAJ ISIDRO DG VICENTE (INF) PA
Deputy Director, ORC (P), PA
MAJ DONNY N RAVAGO (MI) PA
Chief, Policy Studies Branch, ORC (P), PA
CPT FRANCO SALVADOR M SUELTO (INF) PA
Chief, Admin Branch, ORC (P), PA
CPT GLENN D DE RAMOS (INF) PA
Asst Chief, Admin Branch, ORC (P), PA
CPT LEONARD P DEL ROSARIO (INF) PA
Chief, Strategic Branch, ORC (P), PA
CPT MENARD S ROCERO (INF) PA
Chief, Policy and Special Studies Section,
ORC (P), PA
LT COL ELMER B SUDERIO GSC (INF) PA OCG, PA
MAJ JELSON BUYUCCAN (INF) PA OCG, PA
MAJ GEORGE B DELOS ANGELES (CE) PA OG1, PA
MAJ JAN B MOLERO (INF) PA OG2, PA
MAJ CESAR DEOCAMPO III (INF) PA OG3, PA
MAJ DONATO A MOLINA JR (QMS) PA OG4, PA
MAJ MARIA LOURDES E RANARIO (INF) PA OCG, PA
CPT KIM L APITONG (INF) PA OCG, PA
CPT ARIS A GERERO (INF) PA OCG, PA
CPT JOMMEL RAY P PARREÑO (INF) PA OCG, PA
CPT MARC ANTHONY G ROMERO (SC) PA OG6, PA
CPT APPLE ANN L BELANO (AGS) PA OG9, PA
Tsg Melvin P Saludes (SC) PA ORC (P), PA
Ssg Harold L Carbonell (OS) PA TDC, TRADOC, PA
Ssg Loin V Labilles (Inf) PA OCG, PA
Sgt William C Sajul (MS) PA ORC (P), PA
Sgt Ronie M Halasan (OS) PA ORC (P), PA
Cpl Renz Michael T Endaya (Inf) PA OCG, PA
Pfc Jerry R Sibuyan (Inf) PA ORC (P), PA
Pfc Marlon B Malalis (Inf) PA ORC (P), PA
Pfc Joyce T Jimenez (Inf) PA AAR, PA
Pvt Eva May S Abian (Inf) PA ORC (P), PA
Mary Chriszelle M Puzon CE OG1, PA
Jinky Marie R Semaña CE OG2, PA
Aila Marielle S Conopio CE OG2, PA
Abner H Manuel Jr CE OG2, PA
Chryss Frederick R Pascual CE OG5, PA
Samantha Nicole C Suarez OG6, PA
Melrick B Lucero CE OG7, PA
Alexis Faye A Villegas CE OG8, PA
Gayle P Bitarra CE OG9, PA
Ma Sheyna Elayne G Delos Reyes CE OAGAD, PA
Paolo K Mangulabnan CE RDC, ASCOM, PA
Special thanks to:
The offices of Coordinating, Technical, Personal, and Special Staff of the Headquarters, Philippine Army
