PNP hunts 40 foreign terrorist suspects

At least 40 suspected foreign terrorists are in Mindanao and being monitored by authorities, Philippine National Police (PNP) chief Director General Arturo Lomibao said Wednesday night.

Speaking at the Manila Overseas Press Club’s PNP Night at the Hotel Intercontinental Manila in Makati City, Lomibao said the police, the National Bureau of Investigation, the Armed Forces and other law enforcement agencies are "hot on the trail of suspected terrorists."

"The activities of terrorists and insurgents are on our radar," he said.

"The focused approach in the anti-terrorism campaign employs special police units specifically dedicated to launch intelligence and tactical operations to neutralize key terrorist personalities and groups," Lomibao said.

He added the fight against terrorism is the main concern of the PNP under his leadership.

"The transformation plans shall be the road map of building a more capable, more effective and more credible organization," he said.

Lomibao in the meantime assured the Saudi Arabian ambassador that the PNP would coordinate closely with the Saudi embassy in case any of its citizens are implicated in terrorist activities.

This was in reaction to statements made by Mohammad Aneen Wali yesterday requesting police to ensure the safety of Saudi nationals in the country.

Wali was the guest of honor and speaker at the Islamic symposium on the antidote of terrorism and injustice, held at the clubhouse of the PNP-Non Commissioned Office at Camp Crame.

Wali, who spoke in Arabic through an English interpreter, called for protection and safety following the series of terrorist attacks in which some of their brothers in Islam were implicated.

The symposium was attended by Muslim civilians and police officers.

Lomibao said the ambassador had nothing to worry about. "We do know that the Islam religion teaches an individual to be peace-loving," he said, vowing to lead the PNP in forging a better understanding between the two countries.

Thousands, if not millions, of Filipinos have been working in Saudi Arabia for decades now, resulting in close diplomatic coordination between the two governments.

Meanwhile, Lomibao said the PNP and the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency have launched a two-pronged attack to stop the spread of illegal drugs.

"Our two-pronged approach against illegal drugs (consists of) constricting supply by shutting down manufacturers and distributors and cutting down demand by going after the pushers and users," he said.

Lomibao said he has also set up the Internal Audit Office under the office of the PNP chief to contain graft and corruption within the police force.

"This office is tasked to monitor the conduct of transactions to eliminate graft and corruption in the organization," he said.

In steering the 115,000-strong PNP, Lomibao said he is employing the nine principles of war that he learned as a cadet at the Philippine Military Academy.

"These are my guides in handling challenges that come my way, not since my turn as chief of the PNP, but since the earliest days in the field," he said.

Lomibao said the nine principles of war are objective, offensive, mass, economy of force, maneuver, utility of command, security, surprise and simplicity.

"The principle of objective is the most basic… I anchored my program on one central and doable target, that is, to build stronger police stations," he said.

Lomibao said the principle of security is never to permit the enemy to acquire unexpected advantage.

"The principle of surprise is to strike the enemy at a time, at a place, or in a manner for which he is unprepared, while the principle of simplicity is to prepare clear, uncomplicated plans and (give) clear and concise orders to ensure thorough understanding," he said.

His trademark during his more than three decades of police service, he said, has been "clarity of purpose translates to clarity of action."