NATIONAL Capital Region Police Office (NCRPO) director Oscar Albayalde maintained Monday that they are yet to receive report on the possible presence of Isis terrorist in the country, particularly in Metro Manila.
"So far sa Metro Manila wala tayong natanggap na ganyang information," he said, following the statement of Indonesian Defense Minister Ryamizar Ryacudu that at least 1,200 Isis fighters, including 40 Indonesian nationals, are in the Philippines.
However, Albayalde said the police are maintaining its intelligence monitoring against any terror groups in the country.
Ryacudu made the statement amid the ongoing stand-off between the government troops and the Maute group in Marawi City.
The Maute terror group had earlier clamed links with the international terror group Isis.
For its part, the Armed Forces of the Philippines said they will verify Ryacudu's claim with their Indonesian counterparts.
"We don't have those numbers," said AFP spokesperson Restituto Padilla.
"We will reach out, we will verify. This might prove helpful in our campaign against terrorists," he added. (VoxPop Philippines)
