President Marcos rejects Philippines portrayal as terrorist training hotspot

THE Philippines rejected claims by some foreign media outlets that portrayed the country as an Islamic State training hub following reports the alleged gunmen linked to the Bondi Beach mass shooting in Australia entered the country 15 days before the incident.

- — Chloe Mari A. Hufana and Kenneth Christiane L. Basilio

President Ferdinand R. Marcos, Jr. “strongly rejects” what Malacañang called a sweeping and misleading characterization of the Southeast Asian nation.

There is no validated report or confirmation that the individuals involved in the Bondi Beach incident received any form of terrorist training in the Philippines, Palace Press Officer Clarissa A. Castro quoted the National Security Council (NSC) as saying, in a briefing on Wednesday.

No evidence have also been presented to support such claims, the council noted.

“The President strongly rejects the sweeping statement and the misleading characterization of the Philippines as the ISIS (Islamic State of Iraq and Syria) training hotspot,” she said.

The Palace also urged foreign media to be “critical and responsible” in their reporting, warning that unverified characterizations could undermine the country’s integrity and international image.

The NSC said ISIS-affiliated groups have been significantly weakened since the 2017 Marawi siege and now operate in a fragmented capacity, with violence in Mindanao largely driven by local conflicts rather than extremist groups.

“Recent assessments indicate significant improvements in the domestic security environment that [was] previously affected by terrorism,” the NSC added.