Strategist Six: Danilo Pamonag | The Strategist

"There’ll be another Marawi-style siege if we don’t strengthen our immigration procedures, our maritime border patrols and regional cooperation. It will happen again if our political leaders do not stand firm, committed and strong in the fight against this extremist ideology. Thwarting the ISIS threat is not for the military alone. Everyone has a role to play, and a task to perform—politicians, youth and religious leaders, teachers, students, social workers, family and friends working together and fighting back as one.

The Maute Group is trying to recover by recruiting new members, mostly relatives and orphans of those killed. It is unlikely to repeat the Marawi attack elsewhere in Mindanao soon as they have yet to recover their capabilities in terms of manpower and firearms. By and large, the Philippines may still be viewed as a centre for jihad in Southeast Asia, as proclaimed by the ISIS, in the context of its objective of establishing a religious state. Foreign militants provide the opportunity to obtain funding from foreign terror organisations. This is evident with the influx of foreign fighters arriving from Indonesia, Malaysia, and Syria and other countries in the Middle East to join with ISIS-inspired recruits in the Southern Philippines. Thus, the influx of foreign fighters to the southern Philippines is likely to persist."