Turkish NGO, operating school in Zamboanga, denies links to terror groups

A non-profit organization, which runs a Filipino-Turkish Tolerance School in Zamboanga City, on Friday denied allegations that it has connections to any terrorist organization.

In a statement, the Integrative Center for Alternative Development Foundation, Inc., together with Pacific Dialogue Foundation, Inc. said, "At the outset, ICAD and PDF vehemently deny that it is a terrorist organization and that it participated in the 2016 coup attempt in Turkey."

"We do not and have never had any links with any group involved in terror attacks. ICAD and PDF have never been involved in any criminal activities, much less terrorist activities in the Philippines or elsewhere. ICAD and PDF are also not affiliated with any terrorist organization," it added.

Turkish Ambassador Esra Cankorur, in a television interview on Wednesday, announced the supposed presence of Turkish terrorists in the Philippines.

The military, for its part, earlier said they are verifying the information revealed by Cankorur.

Meanwhile, the ICAD was alarmed that the statements of Cankorur "have placed the students and teachers in grave danger."

"Not only would the students and teachers be  the subject of possible investigation/scrutiny by the government, they would now be targets of real terrorist groups/organizations who may believe [them] to be sympatizers," ICAD said.

Aside from the school in Zamboanga City, ICAD also runs Fountain International School in Metro Manila and Academia Language and Review Center in the cities of San Juan and Pasig.

ICAD students came from 28 countries. —Anna Felicia Bajo/NB/KVD, GMA News