Authorities have not received information on possible terror threat in the country so far, the Philippine National Police (PNP) said in reaction to the warning of the Japan Ministry of Foreign Affairs about potential attacks in Southeast Asia.
But PNP chief Gen. Guillermo Lorenzo Eleazar said they are continuously monitoring intelligence reports that they received from the ground and from counterparts both from local intelligence units and from foreign counterparts.
“We have not received any report on possible terror attacks as advised by the Japan Foreign Ministry but this does not mean that we would lower our guard on this matter,” Eleazar said.
Aside from the Philippines, the Japan Ministry of Foreign Affairs said Indonesia, Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, and Myanmar are at risk of attacks, such as suicide bombings.
Eleazar assured the public that the PNP continues its intensified intelligence-gathering measures to prevent any atrocities being plotted by lawless and terror groups, whether local or international.
He said the police are also continue working with the military to secure the country, as well as with other groups and stakeholders in the communities to ensure peace and order in the society.
Eleazar also stressed that since the Taliban takeover in Afghanistan, police units, especially those in the Mindanao region, have been alerted so they could prevent the possibility of spillover of the hostilities from the country, which may be perpetrated by local terrorists.