22 hours ago
3
Upgrade to High-Speed Internet for only ₱1499/month!
Enjoy up to 100 Mbps fiber broadband, perfect for browsing, streaming, and gaming.
Visit Suniway.ph to learn
Janvic Mateo - The Philippine Star
December 18, 2025 | 12:00am
MANILA, Philippines — It is unfair to tag the Philippines as a “hotbed” of terrorism after it was confirmed that the two suspects in the mass shooting in Australia stayed in the country for an entire month, Navy spokesman Rear Adm. Roy Vincent Trinidad said yesterday.
“Just because the father and son passed by the Philippines (does not mean) that they were radicalized here. It doesn’t mean that we’re a hotbed of terrorism. On the contrary, our figures will show that terrorism is on the downtrend in the Philippine setting,” Trinidad, former chief of staff of Task Force Zambasulta, told “Storycon” on One News.
“This is unfair to all the efforts of the Filipino people, the AFP (Armed Forces of the Philippines) and all government agencies who over the years have brought down our terror problem to an inconsequential level,” he added.
The Bureau of Immigration (BI) on Tuesday confirmed that the suspects in the Bondi Beach mass shooting in Sydney, Australia – father and son Sajid and Naveed Akram – stayed in the Philippines for almost the entire month of November.
The two arrived at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport on Nov. 1, then boarded a connecting flight to Davao.
They left the country for Sydney, from Davao via Manila, on Nov. 28.
Citing data from 2016 to the present, the AFP announced significant gains in the fight against local terrorist groups (LTGs), which it said has lowered threat levels.
As of December 2025, the military said the estimated number of LTGs has steadily declined from 1,257 members in 2016 to just 50 because of the neutralization of high-value individuals during the last 10 years and sustained security operations that led to the neutralization of 28 of them through armed encounters and security operations including 10 identified amirs or leaders.
The military also reported that available indicators show a steady decline in LTG manpower, firearms, territorial influence and violent incidents since 2016, with remaining groups now fragmented and largely defensive, with diminished operational reach and limited ability to regroup.
‘Philippines no ISIS training hotspot’
President Marcos has also fired back at reports describing the Philippines as a training hotspot for terrorists.
“Of course, the President strongly rejects the sweeping statement and the misleading characterization of the Philippines as the ISIS (Islamic State) training hotspot,” Presidential Communications Undersecretary Claire Castro said at a press briefing.
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said the attack was motivated by ISIS ideology.
Castro said the National Security Council also slammed reports describing the Philippines as an ISIS hotspot, branding the characterization as “misleading.”
The PNP is conducting a thorough investigation to establish the purpose of travel to the Philippines of the shooters in the Bondi Beach attack.
“Currently there is no validated report or confirmation that the individuals involved in the Bondi Beach incident received any form of training in the Philippines,” Castro said, reading a statement from the NSC.
According to the NSC, Philippine security forces have significantly degraded ISIS-affiliated groups in the country since the 2017 Marawi Siege.
“Both United Nations and the US government assessments indicate that these groups now operate in a fragmented and diminished capacity. Violence in Mindanao is largely driven by historical conflicts and local clan disputes rather than operational capacity of ISIS-affiliated organizations,” the NSC said.
Castro appealed to foreign media to be “discerning and responsible” in their statements as these affect the integrity and image of the Philippines.
The PNP is conducting a thorough investigation to establish the purpose of travel to the Philippines of father-and-son Sajid and Naveed Akram, the shooters in the Bondi Beach attack. — Michael Punongbayan, Helen Flores, Emmanuel Tupas
