The Philippines has been intensifying its security since the Marawi crisis broke out four years ago, government officials said on Thursday after the Japanese Embassy in Manila said the country could be a target of a potential terrorist attack.
Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana said Japan had yet to disclose details of the supposed threat, but assured the public that Philippine troops “know the brainwork about terrorism.”
“Kino-contact na natin ang defense attache nila sa Pilipinas. Di pa nagfi-feedback. Dapat malaman natin ang details ng sinasabing attack, ano ang basehan niyan, saan galing ang report, kailan nangyari ang report at sino ang kumuha,” Lorenzana said in a virtual briefing.
Japanese citizens in the Philippines, Indonesia, Singapore, Malaysia Thailand and Myanmar have been told to avoid crowded places as the Japanese government said “there are increased risks such as suicide bombings” in the six countries.
Lorenzana said that while the Philippines knew more about terrorism than Japan, he would not discount the possibility of Tokyo having more information.
“[Nakakagulat] na galing sa Japan kasi mas marami tayong terror attacks dito sa atin kaysa Japan. Palaging naka-alert ang tropa. Our troops know the brainwork about terrorism,” he said.
Palace spokesman Harry Roque meanwhile said national security in the Philippines has been a priority since the Marawi siege.
“Talaga naman pong tayo ay nasa heightened alert matapos po iyong nangyari sa Marawi. at nagpapasalamat po tayo sa impormasyon. Pero lalo lang po nating pinaiigting ang ating kahandaan para po harapin ang posibleng terroristic attack muli,” he told reporters in a virtual Palace briefing.
The Marawi siege lasted five months, and its rehabilitation has yet to be completed almost five years since the Maute Group terrorists were driven out of the city. John Ezekiel J. Hirro