Esperon briefs UN body on Philippines anti-terror plan

MANILA, Philippines — National Security Adviser Hermogenes Esperon Jr. laid down before the United Nations anti-terror body in New York City the Philippine government’s strategy to combat terrorism in the country.

Speaking before the first UN High-Level Conference of Heads of Counter-Terrorism Agencies and Members States at the UN headquarters,  Esperon, who is also director general of the National Security Council (NSC), said on Friday that the country considers the Islamic State (IS)-inspired Maute terror group and the Communist Party of the Philippines-New People’s Army (CPP-NPA) as the existing threat groups in the country.

The Mautes along with foreign terrorists attacked and occupied Marawi City in May last year in their bid to establish a caliphate state in Mindanao, while the NPA rebels have been included by the United States in the list of Foreign Terrorist Organizations (FTO).

Esperon, leading a high-level delegation to the UN body, said the county has been taking the necessary steps in fighting terrorism, consistent with the UN Global Counterterrorism Strategy.

These include, he said, strengthening engagements with local and international bodies relative to anti-money laundering and terrorism financing, implementing the conventions related to the chemical and biological weapons as well as developing strong relations with the International Police (Interpol).

He also told the UN body that in wake of the Marawi siege by the Maute group, efforts on the domestic front were focused on strengthening the country’s anti-terrorism law, investigation and prosecution of personalities in the UN sanctions and national lists, implementing a national action plan in preventing and counter violent extremism and fast-tracking the rehabilitation and rebuilding of the war-ravaged city.

He, however, did not mention that the government, from the Marawi siege to the present, has placed the entire Mindanao under martial law in order to prevent the escalation of the Marawi conflict to other areas as well as to effect the immediate arrest by government security forces of fleeing terrorists.

Esperon also underscored the continuing threat of the NPA, tagging the communist rebels an equally dangerous local terrorist group whose existence is fueled by foreign ideology.

“The Communist Party of the Philippines-NPA has been committing the same brutal atrocities like the Daesh (IS). The CPP-NPA terrorists killed more than 10,000 soldiers, policemen and civilians in one of the longest running insurgencies in the history o the world,” he said.

“It (NPA) had entrenched itself in international organizations through its international solidarity networks,” he said.

However, he did not identify these international networks that are still actively supporting the NPAs.

But with the tag on the CPP-NPA as a terrorist organization, Esperon said he is hoping the true nature of the group will be exposed to the community of nations as an equally brutal and dangerous group.