THE Philippines faces a much bigger terrorism threat than the one posed by the Islamic State (IS)-linked Maute group that attacked Marawi City last month – the likelihood of the country becoming the new base of extremists forced out of the Middle East, officials have warned.

Foreign Affairs Secretary Alan Peter Cayetano and Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) chief Eduardo Año raised the possibility of more extremists transferring to Southeast Asia and putting up a new base of operations, following a regional security meeting on Thursday.