Filipinos have watched in horror as Marawi has been torn apart by Islamic extremism. But, the events seen in Marawi and on Basilan Island are just an indication of things to come. The Philippines is a ticking time bomb. It is only a matter of time before another incident like Marawi will happen again.

The government claims they have killed at least 303 Islamic militants in Marawi, while losing 75 government troops. Despite the death count, Marawi was a victory to ISIL.

Liow Chin Yong, Dean of Singapore’s S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies, said tactically, “They [the Islamic militants] will be defeated, but it will cast light on the real depth of the problem that the Philippine Government faces”, he added, “it will demonstrate how far the Philippine security forces are from the operational state that is required to competently deal with and defeat the militant groups in the region.”