“Currently, there is no validated report or confirmation that the individuals involved in the Bondi beach incident received any form of training in the Philippines,” Presidential Communications Office undersecretary Claire Castro said on Wednesday, reading a statement by the National Security Council.

“No evidence has been presented to support claims that the country was used for terrorist training.”

In 2017, Islamic State-led militants tried to seize Marawi City in Mindanao, leading to a five-month battle with Philippine troops that killed more than 1,000 people, displaced tens of thousands of residents and destroyed a large part of the upland city.

But since the 2017 siege, ISIS-affiliated groups in the Philippines have been “significantly downgraded,” Castro said.

They operate in a fragmented and diminished capacity on the southern Philippine island, where violence is largely driven by historical conflicts and local clan disputes rather than the operational capacity of ISIS-linked organisations, she said.

President Ferdinand Marcos Jr “strongly rejects the sweeping statement and the misleading characterisation of the Philippines as the ISIS training hotspot,” Castro said, adding that the leader has ordered security forces to remain vigilant and coordinate with international counterparts in preventing terrorist activities.

Police authorities in Davao are investigating the Bondi shooters’ activities when they visited the region in November, Major Catherine dela Rey, spokesperson of the Davao region police, said in a phone interview.

On Tuesday, the Philippine government said the gunmen’s visit raised no alarms at the time.