MANILA,
AUGUST 22, 2011 (TRIBUNE)
The Palace expressed its satisfaction over the recent US State Department
report, taking it "as an indication to further its counter terrorism efforts."
Deputy presidential spokesman Abigail Valte said the report shows that the
government is serious about the safety and security of the country.
Although it is entirely up to the US State Department, she also said the
Palace hopes the report would merit modification of travel advisory "but it is
something that is left to them as they are the one who issued the travel
advisory."
"And as far as I remember, ang update po kasi ng travel advisory I think is
every six months and kaunti lang po iyong ginagawa nilang modification," Valte
added.
She also noted that one of the priority measures of President Aquino is the
amendment to the Human Security Act as it already submitted in the latest Ledac
meeting. "A specific amendment to that is the penalty for the wrongful
imprisonment. The proposal is to lower/lessen the penalty…just to make it a
strong deterrent but not too strong as to prevent our law enforcement agencies
from doing their job," she said.
She said a huge amount of penalty is too strong and defeats the purpose
already. " Katulad nga po ng sinabi ng Pangulong Aquino, kung P500,000 per day
po kasi yung nagiging penalty for the wrongful imprisonment. Ang pinupunto po ng
Pangulo sino ba naman ang mag… kahit na sabihin nating malakas ang kaso, sino pa
yung magpupursigi na magkulong po ng mga taong ganito o mag-akusa kung ganun ho
masyado pong mataas," Valte said.
Meanwhile, for the surveillance, the Palace official said they are proposing
the removal of the notice as "again it defeats the purpose of surveillance kung
alam po nilang minamanmanan na sila." "Alam na niya kung magtatago siya. Hindi
lang po alam na magtatago. Ngunit kung hindi man magmatago, alam na niya dapat
maging mabait ako kasi…maging maayos yung kilos ko kasi may nagmamanman pala sa
akin. Isa po yun and hopefully makita din po ito ng ating mga manbabatas sa
Kongreso at Senado. At makita po yung pangangailangan para ma-complement po yung
efforts natin doon sa counter terrorism.
However, in the said report, the US did not include the killing of seven
Marines which was a big setback to the AFP. Valte said the government
understands the concern that was raised over that we are continuing our efforts.
"We have a very strong statement from the President on that incident and tuloy
po yung mga operations po, yung law enforcement operations to see to it na yung
mga ganun pong pangyayari, yung mga may kagagawan po noon mahuli na po at madala
na po natin sa hustisya," she said.
While the report also noted the ability of al-Qaeda-linked Abu Sayyaf Group
(ASG), Jemaah Islamiyah (JI), and the local communist rebel group the New
People's Army (NPA), to conduct terror activities in the Philippines has
continued to decline, but still remain unresolved. Valte said the government is
continuously exerting its efforts. "We are not saying that we have it down pat…
that it's perfect, that the system is perfect. So we continue to improve the
system," she said.
"Ngunit pag nakakarinig po tayo ng ganitong report na gumaganda, we take it
as further encouragement para ma-improve pa ho yung buong systema. (What's best)
is to identify the culprit, to bring them to justice at yung mabigyan po talaga
ng karampatang parusa para maipakita po doon sa iba na hindi ho pwedeng gumawa
lang tayo ng ganito at isipin nating hindi po tayo mahuhuli at hindi po tayo
maikukulong. Yung certainty of punishments po yung kailangang maipakita po natin
para makita po ng iba na seryoso po tayo doon sa ginagawa natin especially when
it comes to peace and order," the Palace official added.
In its 2010 annual country reports on terrorism, the US State Department
reported that the capability of armed groups to carry out terrorist attacks in
the Philippines has waned but Washington lamented that other acts of violence in
the country remain unsolved.
It said ongoing counter-terrorism efforts by the Philippine government,
reinforced by US support, has undermined the strength of the ASG, JI and NPA, of
which all three are included in Washington's foreign terrorist organization
list.
The US has long expressed concern about the presence of terrorist groups in
the Philippines, specifically the ASG and the JI in Mindanao. It has warned its
citizens in the past from travelling to the country and other parts of Mindanao
and to avoid public areas like ship and bus terminals, places of worships and
shopping malls, wherein some were bombed and targeted by attacks. Danessa O.
Rivera
Washington lauded the Philippine government for keeping "constant pressure on
terrorist groups, even as its security services were stretched thin by other
demands, such as carrying out humanitarian assistance and disaster relief and
providing security for the national elections in May (2010).
The report also said Philippines-US counter-terrorism cooperation has
successfully led to the killing of a prominent Abu Sayyaf sub-commander, Albader
Parad, and five other ASG militants in Jolo, Sulu on Feb. 21, 2010.
Since 2002, hundreds of American soldiers have been deployed to Mindanao on a
rotation basis to provide combat training and weapons to the Philippine military
fighting extremist groups, which were blamed for country's worst terrorist
attacks.
Chief News Editor: Sol Jose Vanzi
© Copyright, 2011 by
PHILIPPINE HEADLINE NEWS ONLINE
All rights reserved
PHILIPPINE HEADLINE NEWS ONLINE [PHNO] WEBSITE
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