US Report Finds 24% Drop in Philippine Terror Attacks
File photo of army soldiers during an operation against rebels.
11:40 PM
20
June
2015
Agencies/Manila
As jihadists fuelled a huge spike in terror attacks last year with the global death toll soaring 81%, the Philippines witnessed a 24% drop in attacks, a US State Department report released in Washington said.
According to the Country Reports on Terrorism 2014 prepared by the State Department’s Bureau of Counterterrorism, the drop in the number of attacks was attributed to the improved co-operation between Manila and Washington.
“Terrorist groups, including the Abu Sayyaf Group (ASG), Jemaah Islamiya (JI), and the Communist People’s Party/New People’s Army (CPP/NPA), were unable to conduct major attacks compared to previous years due to continuous pressure from Philippine counter terrorism and law enforcement efforts. Terrorist groups’ acts included criminal activities designed to generate revenue for self-sustainment, such as kidnapping for ransom, extortion, and bombings for hire,” the report which was posted on the State Department’s website said.
The report however said that despite “sustained pressure on terrorist organisations,” terrorist and rebel groups in Mindanao managed to retain their capability to make improvised bombs and engage in small-scale attacks. The State Department likewise gave credit to the progress in the implementation of the country’s Internal Peace and Security Plan which calls for the transition of internal security operations from the military to the Philippine National Police. It however branded the transition as “slow and ineffective”.
“Continued violent extremist activity, as well as counter terrorism gaps between the AFP and the PNP, slowed this transition and forced the AFP to continue playing the lead counter terrorism role in the Philippines,” the report said.
The State Department also took note of the government’s push to enact the proposed Bangsamoro Basic Law and efforts to curb the potential threat posed by radical supporters of the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) and the risk of ISIL elements travelling to the Philippines to promote violent extremism in the country or to seek safe haven among the situations in the Philippines.
Commenting on the State Department’s report, Communications Secretary Herminio Coloma said the Philippines is “firmly determined to address these challenges.”
“Government is firmly determined to address these challenges through intensified security measures and pursuit of peace-building initiatives,” he said in a text message.
The State Department report mentioned the Aquino administration’s move to prioritise having the 2007 Human Security Act amended, to enable it to conform to international standards; ease the strict monetary penalties and prison terms against law enforcement officials involved in cases where individuals are wrongly accused and later acquitted; and to remove barriers to support investigations. “The (Anti-Terrorism Council) Project Management Centre, in co-ordination with the Anti-Money Laundering Council (AMLC) Secretariat and the Presidential Legislative Liaison Office, ensured that the final version of the HSA was fully in line with the Terrorism Financing Prevention Act, Anti-Money Laundering Act and Philippine government initiatives prior to submission to the House of Representatives,” the report said.
While the report criticises the limited capabilities and “mixed record of accountability and respect for human rights of specialised counter terrorism units like the National Bureau of Investigation and the PNP Special Action Force, it gave credit to the continued improvement in the security of Philippine passports.
It also mentioned the country’s commitment to improve transportation and port security by increasing security capabilities at its airports, seaports and bus terminals.
The State Department report moreover said an “under-resourced and understaffed law enforcement and judicial system, coupled with widespread official corruption” led to “limited domestic investigations, unexecuted arrest warrants, few prosecutions and lengthy trials of cases.”
“Philippine investigators and prosecutors lacked necessary tools to build strong cases, including a lack of clear processes for requesting judicially-authorised interception of terrorist communications, entering into plea bargains with key witnesses, and seizing assets of those suspected in benefiting from terrorism,” it said.
The full State Department reported said there were 13,463 attacks in 95 countries in 2014 — up by a third from the year before — with Iraq, Pakistan and Afghanistan bearing the brunt of extremist violence, the State Department said in a report.
The largest number of attacks were carried out by Islamic State (IS) militants, who unleashed 1,083 assaults last year as part of a deadly march across Iraq and Syria. The Taliban were the next most lethal group, with 894 attacks.