MANILA, Philippines – The government admitted Friday (September 12th) it had circulated a confidential memo about Filipino jihadists fighting in the Middle East under the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS), media reported.

In the memo, Felizardo Serapio Jr., the executive director of the Philippine Centre for Transnational Crime, cited two Department of Foreign Affairs reports alleging the killing of two Filipino jihadists in Syria in March.

"It further asserts a well-founded fear that some Filipino fighters, proudly pronouncing themselves as veterans, have already returned to the country and are teaching the cause of Islamic fundamentalists and extremists in Syria," the memo read, according to the Manila Standard Today.

The memo said 100 Filipinos travelled to Iran for military training before deploying to Syria.

The Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters ( BIFF ) said in July 2013 it sent about 200 fighters to the Middle East.