Guianiand ISIS now exists in Cotabato City

COTABATO CITY – Sympathizers of extremist Islamic State
of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) exist in Cotabato City, the city mayor here said
Tuesday.

Mayor Japal Guiani Jr said he was alarmed and disturbed by the information
that he received from reliable informants that the international terrorist
group has its cell in the city.

It made him even more worried when reports have it that one or
more of the fatalities in the Palimbang, Sultan Kudarat clash last week were
from this city.

Guinai said he was told by an intelligence officer that indeed ISIS
cell exists in the city and in nearby towns and provinces.

Matagal ko na itong naririnig (I have heard that intelligence
information before), I am listening to some other information and that there is
really an ISIS group here,” Guiani said.

Per information we received, lahat ng narerecruit libre ang
pagkain, may allowance pa sila (recruits get free food with pocket money), accordingly
this is funded by more than 20 countries,” Guiani added. This is alarming and that our security authorities
should look into this seriously.”

According to Guiani, citing the information he received, there
are already more than 1,000 recruits of ISIS in Central Mindanao.

What happened in Palimbang confirms the information I got. There
are more than 30 students recruited in Cotabato City and we came to know that
some (about three) of those killed (in Palimbang) were from Cotabato City,”
Guiani said.

The mayor said as early as last year, he had already received
information about alleged the recruitment activities of Ansar al-Khalifa, a group
known to be ISIS-inspired. I already
shared this information to our security sectors. That report was confirmed by
the Palimang encounter,” he said.

Guiani added that the ISIS inspired group has been eyeing for
recruitment were young children fond of reading the holy book, intelligent
young children or out of school youth with a promise of hefty monetary allowances.

Military and police sources said recruits informed their parents
of their desire to take religious studies or a religious mission somewhere in
Palimbang or the mountains of Sultan Kudarat.

Guiani reminded Cotabato City residents to focus their eyes on
the activities of their children.

Take a look at the activities of your children, in and out of
school, so we can help prevent them falling into the wrong hands of fanatics,”
he appealed to parents.

Know your children’s friends, know what keeps them busy,
observe how they act at home, let us help our children out of the hands of ISIS
inspired groups,” he added.

Earlier, Major Gen. Edmundo Pangilinan, commander of the 6th
Infantry Division, told a news conference that there so far there’s no solid
proof ISIS exists in his area of jurisdiction.

Pangilinan said the group that the Philippine Marines clashed
with in Palimbang was a band of lawless elements trying to idolize ISIS as seen
on social media.

He said while the group in Palimbang was using ISIS flag the
military is yet to find solid proof of the terrorist organization’s existence
in Central Mindanao.

However, the Army official said the security sectors’
intelligence community is working on it.