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Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jr. said that there's a strong indication that a certain foreign element could be possibly involved in the explosion incident at the Mindanao State University in Marawi City on Sunday. 

Teodoro made this remark during a press conference with the security forces after President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. condemned the "senseless and most heinous acts perpetrated by foreign terrorists."

"The President has released a statement based on our consultations and there are indicia of foreign element here which we are looking into," he said. 

The defense chief also noted that the security sector is in close coordination with Marcos to feed him the update on the bombing incident in Marawi City. 

"There are indicia of foreign element here which are looking into, this being a crime scene the physical investigation of the crime scene shall be left to the appropriate agency the PNP-SOCO of the area and as I informed the senior officials of the PNP are on the way to the area to coordinate also and prevent any further untoward events happening," Teodoro said.

The defense chief condemned the terroristic act of bombing a religious occasion. 

"Our law enforcement operations on both sides will continue unabated and in accordance with the president's statement we shall leave no stone unturned in order to root out the perpetrators of this heinous crime," he said. 

"This was done on a religious occasion in Marawi and the intent really is to foment a terrorist activity, to foment confusion, chaos of a terrorist activity. so we leave it to our investigative agencies to root out and to prevent further incidents from occurring," he added. 

Asked as to the identity of the foreign party that Marcos was referring to, Teodoro did not elaborate further on the indicia of foreign elements as it will hamper the ongoing operations of the PNP and the AFP. 

"We are not at liberty to disclose but there is an indicia strong indications of a foreign element and let's leave it at that [way] so that the investigation by both the PNP and AFP will not be hampered," he said.

Teodoro also refrained from answering questions if the MSU bombing was related to the war between Israeli forces and Hamas militants.

Meanwhile, Senator Ronald "Bato" Dela Rosa said he is also seeking answers as to whether the local terrorists sympathetic to Hamas might be behind the attack at MSU.

"I am begging for answers on the same question if indeed it was carried out by local terrorists sympathetic to Hamas, why kill fellow Filipinos? These Christian Filipinos are not Jews in the same manner that the Jews are not Christians. Why?" Dela Rosa told reporters on Sunday.