Malacañang welcomes US State Department Country
Report on Terrorism citing Phl as ‘critical partner’ in Anti-Terrorism campaign
Malacañang welcomed on Sunday the US State
Department’s Country Report on Terrorism citing the Philippines as a “critical
partner” in its Anti-terrorism Assistance program.
Deputy Presidential Spokesperson Abigail Valte
said over government radio dzRB Radyo ng Bayan that the Philippines remains
committed in strengthening efforts to combat terrorism “on a global front.”
“…(since) terrorism is not just a concern of the
Philippines but is the concern of most of the countries in the world, we
continue to push on with our efforts to help fight terrorism on a global
front,” Valte said.
In a release dated August 1, the Department of Foreign
Affairs said the US State Department had released the results of its 2011
Philippine Country Report on Terrorism recognizing the Philippine Government’s
progress in the fight against terrorism.
It said that because the Philippines maintained
its strong counterterrorism cooperation with the United States by providing
tactical and investigative training to support the transition in the southern
Philippines from military to civilian counterterrorism authority in Mindanao,
“the Philippines remained a critical partner nation in the State's
Antiterrorism Assistance program.”
The report noted that President Benigno S.
Aquino III’s Administration's implementation of the the 2011-2016 Internal
Peace and Security Plan contributed to the progress in the fight against
terrorism.
The Internal Peace and Security Plan adopts a
"whole of nation" approach to achieve lasting peace, security, and
economic development, including the transfer of internal security functions
from the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) to the Philippine National
Police (PNP).
The US State Department also highlighted
institutional improvements directed towards addressing terrorism such as the
creation of joint military and police task forces and interagency operations
cells in in Zamboanga, Sulu, and Basilan; formation of
anti-kidnapping-for-ransom group in Marawi with military and police
participation; and the establishment of the PNP's national Crisis Action Force
that combined ground, air, and maritime units into a unified terrorist/crisis
first response unit. (rck)
