AFP: Country a ‘perennial target’ of terror attacks

Malacañang on Sunday allayed fears of a new wave of terrorist attacks reaching the Philippines, saying the local intelligence community is now keeping tabs on such threats. At the same time, the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) admitted that, owing to its close ties with the United States, the Philippines is a perennial target of attacks by Osama bin Laden’s al-Qaeda terrorist group and its allied organizations. “RP, being a known ally of the USA, is a perennial target by fundamentalists. These incidents should continue to remind us of the imminent dangers," said Armed Forces spokesman Brig. Gen. Jose Mabanta on Sunday. In Malacañang, deputy presidential spokeswoman Abigail Valte said despite the foiling of a mail bomb plot targeting the US over the weekend, President Benigno Aquino III has no special directive to intelligence agencies to double its information gathering efforts. In an interview on radio dzBB on Sunday, Valte said the intelligence agencies “are always mindful of incidents like this," referring to the foiled bomb attacks. “I’d like to stress our intelligence agencies have been apprised of the incident in the US. As of the moment there is no link between the incident there and [the security situation] here in country. Our intelligence agencies are monitoring the matter," Valte said. Last Friday, authorities on three continents thwarted multiple terrorist attacks aimed at the United States from Yemen, where some al-Qaeda members are supposedly hiding and maintaining a cell. Initial reports said authorities had seized two explosive packages addressed to Chicago-area synagogues and packed aboard cargo jets in England and United Arab Emirates. Yemeni police had already arrested a woman on suspicion of mailing a pair of bombs which was said to be powerful enough to take down airplanes. The plot triggered worldwide fears that al-Qaeda was launching a major new terror campaign. Although Valte said there is no indication the incident in the US is related to Philippine security, the military said it is not letting its guard down. “The Armed Forces should not let its guard down as these threats are real...At this point, intelligence coverage will be intensified on all possible entry points and on dubious organizations," said Mabanta. For its part, the Philippine Coast Guard assured the public that security measures are in place to thwart possible sympathy attacks in the Philippines. Coast Guard commandant Admiral Wilfredo Tamayo said most of these measures are already in place since an explosion ripped through a passenger vessel in 2004. “Meron tayong EOD, marami tayong improvement. Pag may threat nakaka-respond ang ating ahensya (We have explosives and ordnance division operatives and we have had improvements in our procedures. We can respond quickly to threats)," he said in a separate interview on dzRB radio on Sunday. He also said the Coast Guard is part of the sea marshal program since 2004, where teams with Coast Guard, police and military operatives board passenger ships to thwart terrorist attacks. He also said passengers attempting to smuggle explosives will have to pass through several security layers in seaports, including x-ray, K-9 and rounds of screening. - KBK, GMANews.TV