In southern Philippines, it’s complicated

An army trooper walks past graffiti on a concrete fence near the frontline in Marawi on the southern island of Mindanao. - AFP

There’s more than one reason for the violence, and there is a major reason why we should monitor the situation closely.

“YOU are going to Mindanao? You are not afraid of the Islamic State?” asked a Filipina waitress working in a sushi restaurant in Sunway Pyramid, Petaling Jaya, two days before I travelled to the restive southern Philippines.