US allots $7.3 M for RP terror drive

In line with its war against terrorism, the United States has earmarked $7.3 million for the training and additional equipment of two more crack Philippine Army units that will go after terrorists, a defense department official disclosed yesterday.

Speaking on condition of anonymity, the official said over half of the money, or $4.3 million, will come from a little-known Philippine-US defense cooperation program called the "non-proliferation, anti-terrorism, demining and related-program." The rest will come from a US Defense Department fund.

Actual training of the two so-called light reaction companies will begin this month during the ongoing Balikatan joint Philippine-US military exercises, to be held mostly in northern Luzon.

The Philippine military’s first light reaction company, trained by US advisers last year, is among the hundreds of Philippine troops now hunting down the elusive Abu Sayyaf in Basilan.

Since the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, Manila and Washington have been reviewing military assistance programs to determine what the Philippines needs to effectively combat terrorism.

Last month, US air force Lt. Gen. Tome Walters, chief of the US Defense Cooperation Agency, met with Philippine defense officials in Manila to assess the country’s defense requirements.

Aside from the training of the crack Philippine Army units, more equipment is expected from the US. The Philippine Navy is expecting the arrival in November of one USS Cyclone-class patrol boat .

About 160 US Special Forces troops are training Philippine soldiers in hunting down Abu Sayyaf bandits who are holding hostage an American missionary couple, Martin and Gracia Burnham, and Filipino nurse Deborah Yap on Basilan island.

Local authorities and the US FBI is investigating an intelligence report suspecting the Abu Sayyaf of channeling funds to Osama bin Laden’s al-Qaeda terrorist network.

Police and soldiers in Mindanao are also on the lookout for suspected al-Qaeda members who might try to slip through the country’s porous southern borders.

Meanwhile, in Angeles City, Pampanga, President Arroyo yesterday inaugurated an academy that will train immigration personnel in fighting terrorism, human smuggling and transnational crimes.

Immigration Commissioner Andrea Domingo said the Philippine Immigration Academy will address the training needs of immigration personnel and those from other government agencies.

"Through this academy, we hope to achieve our vision of a world-class Philippine immigration service manned by competent and professional personnel, equipped with modern facilities, and proud of its mandate as gatekeeper of our country’s ports of entry," Domingo said.

Joint venture courses with foreign immigration counterparts such those from the United States, Japan, Canada and Great Britain will also be offered by the academy. — With a report from Rey Arquiza