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Cristina Chi - Philstar.com
December 17, 2025 | 3:07pm
This photo taken on May 23, 2021 shows workers walking along a newly paved road past homes which were destroyed in 2017 when Islamic State-inspired Muslim militants laid siege to the southern Philippine city of Marawi, resulting in a five-month campaign that claimed more than 1,000 lives until government troops re-took control.
AFP / Ferdinandh Cabrera
MANILA, Philippines — President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. sees no truth in the claim that the Philippines is an "ISIS training hotspot" as the government has found no proof showing the two suspects in Australia's recent terror attack received training during their November visit to the country.
Palace Press Officer Claire Castro said at a briefing on Wednesday, December 17, that the relevant government agencies have coordinated with international partners to verify information about the Bondi Beach shooters but have uncovered no evidence of their training in the Philippines.
Australian media earlier reported the father-and-son suspects underwent "military-style training" in the Philippines before killing 15 people at a Hanukkah celebration in Sydney on December 14. The suspects, identified as Sajid Akram, 50, and his son Naveed Akram, 24, stayed in the Philippines from November 1 to 28, according to the Bureau of Immigration. They listed Davao City as their final destination.
"Of course, the president strongly rejects the sweeping statement and misleading characterization of the Philippines as an ISIS training hotspot," the Palace press officer said.
Castro, relaying the National Security Council's position, added: "There is currently no validated report that the individuals involved in the Bondi Beach incident received any kind of training in the Philippines... No evidence has been presented to support claims that the country was used for terrorist training."
Assessments by the United Nations and the United States, Castro said, indicate that ISIS-linked groups in the country now operate in a “fragmented and diminished capacity.”
Castro also noted that violence in Mindanao is largely driven by local clan disputes rather than the operational capability of ISIS-affiliated organizations. Marcos has since instructed the Anti-Terrorism Council and its member agencies to remain vigilant and continue coordination with international partners.
The Palace statement also emphasized that Philippine security forces have significantly degraded ISIS-affiliated groups since the 2017 Marawi siege, when militants seized the city for five months.
Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) spokesperson Col. Francel Margareth Padilla told reporters at a different briefing Wednesday that the suspects entered the country as tourists. She said the military has no reports of foreign terrorists currently operating in the Philippines for training or other activities.
AFP public affairs chief Col. Xerxes Trinidad said Davao and other parts of the Davao region have been declared insurgency-free.
According to reports by local media, Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said the Bondi Beach shooters were "motivated by Islamic State ideology." New South Wales Police Commissioner Mal Lanyon confirmed investigators are examining the suspects' Philippines trip but its purpose remains under investigation.
When asked what message Marcos had for foreign media describing the Philippines as an ISIS hotspot, Castro said: "Be discerning, be responsible in your statements, especially when these affect the integrity and image of the Philippines."
The 2017 Marawi siege was a tragic moment for the Philippines' counter-terrorism efforts. ISIS-aligned militants from the Maute Group and Abu Sayyaf seized Marawi City on May 23, 2017, declaring it a new caliphate after government forces tried to arrest ISIS leader Isnilon Hapilon.
The five-month battle ended October 23, 2017, after killing hundreds of militants, soldiers and civilians. The siege displaced 360,000 people and decimated most of the buildings and structures in the main battle area.
