US assures RP of continuing cooperation vs terror

The United States has assured the Philippine government of continuing support in the campaign against terrorism.

Foreign Affairs Secretary Alberto Romulo met with US Intelligence Director John Negroponte in Washington last Monday. The two agreed on the importance of intelligence exchanges in detecting and destroying terrorists and their networks.

Negroponte, the first ever Director for National Intelligence in the United States, oversees 15 US intelligence agencies, including the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA). He was the US ambassador to the Philippines from 1993 to 1996.

Romulo, who is on an official visit to Washington, informed Negroponte of the strategy adopted by the Philippines in the war against terror.

"We have a comprehensive approach to fighting terrorism, encompassing a full range of security and development components," Romulo said.

"The Philippines and the US need continuing robust cooperation to maintain the momentum that has been achieved against terrorists," he added.

Romulo cited the contributions made by the Philippines in neutralizing international terrorists, including Ramzi Ahmed Yousef, the mastermind of the first World Trade Center bombing, and Fathur Rohman al- Ghozi, a Jemaah Islamiyah operative who planned the attack on the US embassy in Singapore.

The Philippines, Romulo said, was fortunate to have an old friend holding an important position in the US government. "Ambassador Negroponte knows us well. We look forward to working closely with him," Romulo said.

A recent US State Department report, however, noted that there were a number of procedural obstacles to the Philippine government’s anti-terrorism drive, including the absence of an anti-terrorism law, poor law enforcement and the judicial system itself.

While several counter-terrorism bills have been filed in Congress, the report noted the Philippines failed to pass an anti-terrorism law last year.

In the absence of an anti-terrorism law, suspected terrorists in detention are charged with murder, illegal possession of explosives and violation of immigration laws, charges that carry much lighter sentences.

At least 10 anti-terrorism bills are now pending in Congress.

The report likewise mentioned "generic" problems in the Philippine law enforcement and criminal justice systems that hamper justice such as corruption, low morale of employees, inadequate salaries, recruitment and retention difficulties, and lack of effective cooperation between the police and prosecutors.