Mautes used bank vaults to hide from air strikes

MARAWI CITY, Philippines – The Maute fighters in Marawi City opened the vault of government bank Land Bank of the Philippines inside the battle area, a former hostage revealed. 

Former Maute hostage Lordvin Acopio, a teacher at Dansalan College, shared in a tell-all interview how the fighters hid in the vaults when the military conducted air strikes.

“Pinagtaguan yun kapag binobomba sila ng fighter jet eh. Alam kasi nilang matibay yung vault… Malaking vault (They hide inside the vault when the fighter jets are bombarding us. They know it’s fortified. It’s a big vault),” said Acopio.

Acopio said he doesn’t know where they put the money in the vault.

But Acopio could not tell where the Maute fighters placed the money in the vaults. He said he assumed he took them. 

The military was scheduled to turn over on Thursday, September 28, 4 vaults recovered from the site.

The government bank was located at the ground floor of the C&D Centerpoint building in the heart of the battle area, one of the Maute strongholds that the military found difficult to retake. It was where Army Captain Rommel Sandoval was killed, the highest ranking official to die in Marawi. 

Land Bank served as headquarters and makeshift hospital when Safrullah Medical Hospital fell to government hands. – Rappler.com