Exclusive - President Duterte Warns Filipinos of Possible Terrorist Attack: '…in the Coming Days We Will Be Facing a Serious Problem. It Is Terrorism. Be Prepared.'

During the Highway Patrol Group’s graduation ceremony, President Rodrigo Duterte warned the Filipino people about the biggest problem the country may face in the next few years – terrorism.

"I am telling you, in the coming days we will be facing a serious problem. It is terrorism. Be prepared." President Duterte said during a speech held in a local resort in Davao City

The president said that in two or three years’ time, the threat of terrorism will worsen. He also added that terrorists could carry out deadly missions using just a few people.

"They are only four, five and six. But it requires human intelligence," he said.

Brig. Gen. Restituto Padilla Jr., Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) spokesman, extended the responsibility of fighting terrorism to Filipino citizens. He said that Filipinos should contribute towards solving this problem.

"Our call to the public, as we have made yesterday, is that we must all subscribe to the tenet that security is a shared responsibility. It is not something that is placed on the shoulders of your police and your military alone. That every community, for it to remain secure, (there) must be a shared task on the part of every citizen,” Padilla said.

On November 26, the Maute group raised the black flag of the Islamic State in the town of Butig in Lanao Del Sur to show that they have already conquered the area.

Afterwards, the group engaged in a fire fight with government troops, which lasted for almost a week.

According to reports, the attack in Lanao was staged to seek recognition and support from ISIS.