PNP says no evidence on possible ISIS threat in Northern Luzon

August 12, 2019

The head of the Philippine National Police ( PNP) on Monday said there is still no evidence on a possible ISIS threat in Northern Luzon.

“That is intelligence information...for confirmation or validation. Until now our intelligence community is continuously monitoring the information and they are validating the information,” Police General Oscar Albayalde said in an interview.

“Until now, we have not received concrete evidence that the information is already confirmed. That is what we call raw information,” he added.

On Saturday, a news report said local government units in Ilocos region received intelligence information that some wanted Maute members, a local affiliate of ISIS terror group, went to their province.

The Ilocos Norte and Ilocos Sur provincial intelligence branches and an agent of the National Intelligence Coordinating Agency (NICA) warned government intelligence agents to be on lookout for heavily armed men on board four vehicles roaming around Northern Luzon to target huge churches.

Albayalde said he gave orders to PNP lower units to be on alert and put additional forces in their areas.

“We already told our lower units to be always on alert and we gave a directive to provide additional forces outside and of course for them to intensify their target hardening measures especially on the areas mentioned,” he said.

He also told the public not to be afraid when they see a lot of policemen outside or near the churches, especially in Manaoag Church in Pangasinan.

“We already assigned police officers in Manaoag even before,” said Albayalde.  Ella Dionisio/DMS