The Philippine National Police (PNP) has ordered stricter monitoring and intensified intelligence-gathering to prevent terrorism-related recruitment and training activities in Mindanao, following warnings of renewed militant movements in parts of the region.
PNP acting chief Lt. Gen. Jose Melencio Nartatez Jr. said the police force is in constant coordination with the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) and the country’s intelligence community to preempt potential terror plots.
“We treat all information we receive seriously. While there have been significant gains in peace, order, and development in areas previously affected by armed conflict in Mindanao, we continue to closely monitor the situation on the ground with the help of our AFP counterparts,” Nartatez said in a statement on Sunday.
His remarks came after a peace advocacy group monitoring violence in Mindanao warned of alleged recruitment and training activities by Dawlah Islamiyah (DI) in the provinces of Lanao and Maguindanao. The alert followed a January 23 ambush in Munai, Lanao del Norte, that left four soldiers dead.
Suspected members of the DI–Maute Group reportedly carried out the attack against government troops who were conducting non-combat security operations in support of community development, according to initial security reports.
Nartatez said police and military units in Lanao and Maguindanao are maintaining heightened alert levels, in line with President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr.’s directive to take an uncompromising stance against internal security threats and ensure sustained stability in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM).
He stressed that strict monitoring and timely intervention remain standard protocol to safeguard the gains of the national government’s peace and development efforts in Mindanao.
Nartatez, a former commander of the Area Police Command–Western Mindanao, also emphasized the importance of community involvement, saying public cooperation is crucial in preventing the resurgence of violent extremism.
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