The Philippine Army has disputed the findings of the Global Terrorism Index 2025, which ranked the Philippines among the countries most affected by terrorism.
“I think they need to update their data,” Army chief Lt. Gen. Antonio Nafarrete said Tuesday.
The report placed the Philippines 20th out of 163 countries, with a score of 5.17 on a 10-point scale, where 10 represents the highest impact.
The index is published annually by the Institute for Economics and Peace, a Sydney-based think tank.
The GTI measures terrorism using four indicators: number of incidents, fatalities, injuries, and hostages. These are weighted over a five-year period to capture long-term trends rather than short-term spikes.
Nafarrete said the data should reflect the current security situation, noting that the military has significantly weakened local terror groups.
He said the Abu Sayyaf Group has been effectively neutralized in its former strongholds, with Sulu declared “ASG-free.”
In Basilan, he added, the group has been reduced to “lawless elements” rather than an organized terrorist threat.
The Army also reported that remnants of Dawlah Islamiyah and the Maute Group are now extremely limited.
In Lanao del Sur, fewer than 10 members are believed to remain in the Marawi area, while ISIS-linked elements in Maguindanao are described as “very, very minimal.”
“We are very confident that we will be able to finish this since the threat is very minimal in other areas,” Nafarrete said.
The 2025 report noted that 98 percent of terrorism-related deaths worldwide occurred in conflict zones.
