PRO Denies ISIS Presence in Visayas Region

The Police Regional Office (PRO) this morning denied reports about the presence of Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) here in the Visayas region.

PSupt Rex o. Derilo, Deputy Chief of the Regional Intelligence Division(RID) of PRO7 said they have not received any reports regarding ISIS.

Earlier reports said ISIS were already starting their operations in Mindanao to recruit members to help them fight against their political foes in Iraq and Syria.

They are also allegedly conducting trainings in Mindanao before sending their recruits to the Middle East.

Because of this, the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) sent two battalions of its soldiers to Mindanao to help eradicate this terrorist groups.

Mindanao became the popular lair of Abu Sayaff, a Muslim group which masterminded kidnapping for ransom and other rebel related activities.

It is also the homeland of Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) who later on changed their name to Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF).

They are there to fight against the Philippine soldiers and civilians more than 50 years now, until the government decided to craft laws, to serve as a border stone to limit their respective rights against its other.

But Derilo said, these Muslim groups may largely grow in Mindanao due to the vast forest areas there but not here in region 7.
He said there are Muslim groups operating business here in Cebu but they are peace loving people.

Derilo said he doesn’t believe Muslim people here will convince their rebel relatives in Mindanao to come here in Cebu or in Central Visayas to sow terroristic activities as what they are doing in some parts of Mindanao.

So he said if MNLF, MILF and Abu Sayaff were not able to enter the Visayas areas, how much more the ISIS, Delilo added.