The Department of National Defense (DND) urged the public to calm Tuesday night, September 14, as it announced that it will validate the Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs' threat alert issued to the Philippines and five other Southeast Asian countries due to possible terrorist strikes.

According to DND spokesperson Arsenio Andolong, the department "appreciates" and "takes cognizance" of the Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs' recent terrorism advice issued to its residents residing in the Philippines, Indonesia, Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, and Myanmar.

"As with all reports concerning the safety and security of our communities, the aforementioned advisory will be subjected to the process of validation," he said.

According to Andolong, the DND and the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) have been on permanent high alert for terrorist activity since the Marawi City siege in 2017.

He noted that the DND and AFP have been working closely with other concerned authorities, such as the Anti-Terrorism Council (ATC), to continuously monitor and assess terror risks within the country's borders all year.

Previously, the AFP stated that they had not yet received the Japanese danger notice, but that they will cooperate with the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) to authenticate the information.

The Japanese Embassy in the Philippines stated that their government issued a terrorism threat alert to their residents living in the six Southeast Asian countries.

There are little details about the potential terror activity that Japan is monitoring, though it has cautioned its nationals to avoid religious facilities and other crowded areas owing to the likelihood of "increased risks" of terror strikes "such as suicide bombings."

On social media, the warning alert sparked widespread worry, with the hashtags "Stay safe everyone" and "Japan" trending as of Wednesday morning, September 15.