By Paulo Loreto Lim

Presidential Spokesperson Ernesto Abella announced the Philippines, alongside Malaysia and Indonesia, have formed a “trilateral cooperation” focused on combatting terrorism and radical Islamic terror, following the ongoing conflict in Marawi City where government forces continue to fight the Islamic State-backed Maute group.
“Foreign military, intelligence officials from the Philippines, Indonesia, and Malaysia had a fruitful and productive discussion,” said Abella.
According to Reuters, officials from the three nations agreed to share information; track communications; and crack down on the flow of arms, fighters, and money.
During the meeting, it was reported Malaysia Foreign Minister Anifah Aman recognized the crucial situation facing the region in terms of terrorism.
“This is an urgent task that we need to undertake, as clearly evidenced through the current situation in Marawi,” he said. “Our enforcement agencies must constantly engage with one another, not only in intelligence sharing, but new active and innovative measures.”/WDJ