THE government is trying its best to balance its act to end the Marawi crisis without opening new avenues for a protracted war between the military and the Islamic State-linked Maute group, Maj. Gen. Restituto Padilla, Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) spokesman, said.

Security expert Richard Heydarian said President Rodrigo Duterte has to handle the Marawi crisis “very carefully with the added element that there are also sectarian things involved here.”