Antara/Irsan MulyadiAlthough the Islamic State (IS) group based in Marawi City, southern Philippines, was able to be destroyed by the Philippine military, the southern Philippines is providing a new center of conflict that could become a stepping stone for IS jihadists and militia groups to consolidate and continue to spread their ideology and develop the group’s global influence, as noted by researchers Zachary Abuza and Colin P. Clarke.The IS’ efforts to make the southern Philippines, especially Mindanao, the basis of a new caliphate by utilizing the existence and role of its followers, supporters and sympathizers around Southeast Asia has been successful, as scholar Richard C. Paddock notes. In the region, the use of sophisticated weapons, drones and unlimited ammunition, enabled by among other things funding from outside, raises deep concern among regional leaders about the devel...