Manila: Despite President Benigno Aquino III’s statements that there is no “credible threat” of terror attacks like Jakarta happening in the Philippines, security forces have been put on heightened alert.

In the armed forces’ main headquarters of Camp Emilio Aguinaldo in suburban Quezon City, soldiers are implementing tighter than usual security measures. Similar countermeasures are being observed at the Philippine National Police headquarters in Camp Crame just across the highway.

“We are not taking any chances,” a police sergeant who refused to be identified told Gulf News, adding that vehicles without security tickers are barred from entry to the main security force bases since Friday.

Armed Forces chief Gen. Hernando Iriberri said although security steps being undertaken are normal, they believe local extremist groups having sympathies with the Daesh do not have the capacity to launch suicide attacks such as the Jakarta one which resulted in the deaths of seven people, including five attackers. The daylight assault also injured 24 people.

Shadowy groups in Mindanao have claimed allegiance to Daesh in videos last year.

However, except for an incident that took place in Davao City in March 2003 that killed 21 people, Philippines-based extremist groups, including Abu Sayyaf, Jemaah Islamiyah and similar organisations, have no history of carrying out suicide bombings or gun attacks in the name of religious or political beliefs.

Iriberri said that before the terror attack in Jakarta, the armed forces of the Philippines have already been carrying out operations to neutralise radical groups in the southern part the country.

He said armed forces had been engaged in operations against Abu Sayyaf since December, neutralising a number of the extremists in the island of Sulu and Basilan.

On Friday, the president said no “credible threat” exists in the Philippines despite the latest bombings in Jakarta.

“The last report I read says there is no credible threat,” the President as he referred to security assessments on the Jakarta incident and its effects to security in the Philippines.

“With regards to this incident, do we have a particular threat? No. Do we have a general threat? Yes, because we are not immune to this concern on extremism,” he said during a press briefing in Bulacan in Central Luzon.

He further expressed concern that the large Filipino migrant worker population in the Middle East could be exposed to radicalisation espoused by the Daesh.

“Of course we would act with prudence on handling this situation, we will cooperate with their intelligence agencies on this matter,” he said.

Reports said Daesh has claimed responsibility for a four-hour bloodbath in Jakarta.