The National Security Council on Monday disclosed that the Palestinian militant group, Hamas has tried to enter the Philippines and attempted to influence Filipinos to spread extremist activities in the country back in 2018.

In a televised public briefing, NSC Undersecretary Jonathan Malaya also bared a certain Hamas bomb maker was successfully arrested by the members of the Philippine National Police and immediately deported to Turkey last year.

He added that another Hamas operative had tried to coordinate with the country's local extremists to expand their operation in the Philippines.

However, the country's intelligence units were able to halt the expansion of the Hamas group in the Philippines.

"The good news is that we were able to stop them with the help of other countries," said Malaya in the vernacular.

The NSC official underscored the plans of the government to designate the Hamas group as a terrorist organization in the country, on top of being "in solidarity with the State of Israel" amid the ongoing war in the area.

"Declaring Hamas as a terrorist organization aims to protect our countrymen, this is also a domestic act on the part of the Philippines to ensure the security of our people," he said.

Malaya noted that the government's action will also prevent the replication of the Gaza Strip conflict here in the Philippines.

Once designated as a terrorist group under the Anti-Terrorist Act of 2020, Malaya said it would be easier for the local authorities to arrest their member extremists upon entry into the Philippines.

"We can immediately arrest them without a warrant, we can detain them for a certain period of time and one this that will be halted is the so-called terrorist financing," he added.

Malaya further explained that the designation will also give easy access to the Anti-Money Laundering Council to freeze the accounts and financial assets of Hamas' sympathizers, financing violent extremism in the country.

He said the terrorist designation will serve as a "clear message" that the Philippine government is serious about combating both internal and external security threats as well as protecting Filipinos from the harm brought about by terrorism.

"We do not intend to resolve the Palestinian question, it has been their long problem and we are not telling them that we could solve their issues—our planned declaration of Hamas as a terrorist organization in the Philippines is for our own national interest so they wouldn't be able to operate here and we can secure our country," Malaya stressed.

Malaya also denied allegations that the country's move was due to the "instigation" of the United States or Israel itself.

"This is not instigation of the US or the State of Israel, we are doing it, again, because of our national interest," he said.