COTABATO CITY(October 21) — The Philippine National Police (PNP) has heightened security in parts of the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) after four suspected Dawlah Islamiyah members were killed during an arrest operation in Maguindanao del Norte, with police ordered to assess the remaining capabilities of extremist networks and monitor possible retaliatory attacks.
PNP chief Gen. Jose Melencio Nartatez Jr. directed police units to intensify intelligence monitoring in Maguindanao del Norte, Maguindanao del Sur and neighboring provinces following the Oct. 16 operation in Barangay Tapayan, Sultan Mastura.
Police said the operation targeted suspected Dawlah Islamiyah sub-leader Yusa Ganoy and three associates, against whom security forces were serving arrest warrants. According to authorities, the four opened fire on the arresting team, triggering a brief gunfight that left them dead.
The PNP linked Ganoy and his associates to several bombing incidents in Isulan, Sultan Kudarat. Authorities also said the four were wanted in connection with multiple killings, arson and other crimes in Maguindanao del Sur.
“Every wanted person taken off the streets is a step toward safer communities and a stronger rule of law,” Nartatez said, adding that police would sustain intelligence-driven operations and coordinate with the military.
He assured the public that police and military units would maintain heightened readiness against remaining extremist networks.
The PNP has not publicly detailed specific threats of retaliation or disclosed how long the heightened security measures would remain in place. It also has yet to provide details on the assessed strength of the suspects’ network following the operation.
These gaps leave key questions about the extent of the security threat and the measures needed to protect communities. The effectiveness of the heightened alert will depend on whether intelligence monitoring identifies credible risks and whether authorities can respond without disrupting civilian life.
Army honors Marawi siege casualties
In a separate development, the Philippine Army has commemorated soldiers and police officers killed during the five-month siege of Marawi City in 2017, when Maute and Abu Sayyaf militants fought government forces across parts of the city.
The siege began on May 23 and ended on Oct. 17, 2017. Figures cited by the military placed the death toll at 168 members of the Philippine Army, Philippine Marine Corps and PNP, along with 87 civilians.
Maj. Gen. Alvin Luzon, commander of the Army’s 10th Infantry Division, led a wreath-laying ceremony on Saturday at Heroes Memorial Park inside Camp General Manuel Yan Sr. in Mawab, Davao de Oro.
Luzon paid tribute to military and police personnel who worked together to drive the militants out of Marawi.
“We shall never forget the supreme sacrifices, in line of duty, of the men in uniform who perished in that conflict,” he told reporters.
The commemoration recalled the human toll of the siege, which devastated parts of Marawi and displaced residents.
The two developments concern different security contexts: the current police operation and subsequent alert in parts of BARMM, and the remembrance of lives lost during the 2017 Marawi siege. The former raises immediate questions about the threat posed by remaining extremist networks; the latter recalls the lasting costs of armed violence for security forces and civilians.
