Gov't vows to prevent terrorist activities

MANILA, Philippines (Xinhua) - The government said today that it remains committed to preventing violence and terrorism after the country ranked 9th in the Global Terrorism Index by a Sydney-based institution.

Deputy Presidential Spokesperson Abigail Valte said the Philippines is even coordinating and cooperating with neighboring countries to thwart terrorist threats, including the reported recruitment of Filipinos by militant Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS).

In a study conducted by Institute for Economics and Peace (IEP), the Philippines ranked 9th out of 162 countries in terms of the level of terrorist activities in the world in 2013.

The Global Terrorism Index showed 499 incidents in the Philippines, resulting in 292 fatalities, 444 injuries, and 184 damage to property.

The index ranks countries according to the impact of terrorist activities as well as the analysis of the economic and social dimensions associated with terrorism.

"We'd like to see what those incidents are and compare them with the data that our law enforcement agencies have. But certainly, everyone is unified in the goal that we want to lessen these incidents," Valte said in a news briefing in Malacanang, the presidential palace.

Asked if the activities of the leftist New People's Army (NPA) could have contributed to the Philippines ranking high in the terrorism index, Valte said security forces are conducting operations against the group while the government is working to verify if atrocities committed by the NPA were considered by those who made the study.

"But certainly, at the end of the day, our goal really is to lessen these incidents because we are looking at the safety of the people," she said, adding that the Aquino administration continues to encourage the rebels to return to the negotiating table.