MANILA, Philippines — The National Security Council (NSC) refuted the notion that Mindanao was still a hotspot of violent extremism, stressing that such ideology was “outdated and misleading” as domestic security situations in the region, especially areas previously infested by terrorists have drastically improved through the years. The NSC issued the statement following the confirmation of the month-long travel of the father and son suspects of the Bondi Beach shooting days ahead of the attack that killed 16 people and injuring dozens more. The Bureau of Immigration has confirmed the visit of Sajid Akram, 50, Indian national (Australian resident) and Naveed Akram, 24, Australian national from Nov. 1 to 28, traveling from Manila and Davao where they allegedly underwent training from local terrorist groups (LTGs) before heading back to Australia. The Philippine government is investigating the nature of the visit but said the likelihood of them supposedly training under LTGs was unlikely since the number of extremists have gone down from 1,257 in 2016 to only 50 in 2025 and the last known Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) - related incident in the Philippines was the Marawi Siege. “Since the 2017 Marawi Siege, Philippine security forces have significantly degraded ISIS-affiliated groups in the country. The remnants of these groups have been fragmented, deprived of leadership, and operationally degraded,” National Security Adviser Eduaro Ano said in a statement.