Parents Urged to Watch Children Vs ISIS Recruitment

Cotabato City — The City Peace and Order Council (CPOC) here urged parents to “watch over their children” following the reported ongoing recruitment of the extremist Islamic State-associated groups here.

The CPOC, headed by Mayor Frances Cynthia Guiani – Sayadi convened Wednesday at the function room of the premier Estosan Hotel here together with Army’s 6th Infantry Division Commander Maj. Gen. Carlito Galvez Jr. and other sectoral representatives to tackle the concern.

“There is an ongoing ISIS recruitment that is why I am urging parents to look into the activities of their children and the organizations they want to join,” Sayadi said.

Intelligence reports cited that the IS recruitment targets the youth with ages ranging between 15–21 years old.

“We see indications pointing to the recruitment,” Galvez, for his part, said.

The concern was raised following the recent arrest here of three suspects, TJ Tagadaya Macabalang, Wendel Apostol Facturan, and Musalli Mustapha, who are linked to the IS-instigated Davao City night market bombing incident last Sept. 2.

Galvez vowed to augment security at the perimeter of the city, including river patrols on tributaries crisscrossing the locality.

Early on, reports implied that IS members and other criminal groups are using the rivers and creeks surrounding the city to sneak in bombs and firearms for their nefarious activities.

The 6ID headquarters situated in adjacent Barangay Awang, Datu Odin Sinsuat, Maguindanao, is only some 10 kilometers away from the city proper.(PNA) JMC/NYP