Tempo Online
President Duterte warned the public recently that the notorious Islamic State might choose the Philippines as a “logical place” to set up camp and kill the infidels.
Duterte said the IS militants are unlikely to choose Indonesia and Malaysia as its next caliphate in the region since these countries are dominated by Muslims.
“They are being pushed out of the Middle East. Now they’re planning to establish a caliphate here in Southeast Asia. What country would be the most ideal to set up a camp?” Duterte said during the launching of the Davao River bridge project in Davao City last Thursday.
“Where would they set up camp? What’s the logical place? Mindanao. Where would they find the infidels to kill? They are not found aplenty in Indonesia, Malaysia, or Brunei. It’s right here,” he added.
Duterte acknowledged that the country could be the next “battleground” of ISIS after being driven out of the Middle East by Western forces. He noted that these militants were looking for a country “where they can mix with the crowd.”
“What country would be the most ideal to set up a camp? Indonesia? Indonesia is all Muslim…It could not be Malaysia, it’s all Muslim,” he said.
Duterte cautioned that the ISIS militants have an ideology dedicated to kill people and destroy places.
“Itong g****** ISIS na ito, they do not know anything except to kill and destroy. And sometimes in their crazy notion that they are the disciples of God, they say that they will kill all infidels and infidels is – are the non-Muslims,” he said.
Faced with the imminent terror threat, Duterte said he has decided to keep his options open on whether or not to seek assistance from the United States and China if hostilities erupt in Mindanao.
He added that his decision to avoid war with China over a territorial dispute was part of a strategy to seek its aid against security threat.
“Because of the threat here in Mindanao, you must have an option of where to go. Is America ready to die for us? Are they ready to send their troops here? Or can I call China for more arms because we do not have it?” he said. (Genalyn D. Kabiling)
