GMA vows to fight terrorism through economic program

LOS ANGELES, California (via PLDT) — Military might alone will not win the war against terrorism.

President Arroyo said here yesterday that her administration’s anti-terrorism campaign involved police and military action plus a stronger anti-poverty program.

Addressing a huge gathering of Filipinos at the Westin Hotel here, the President reiterated the Philippine government’s close cooperation with a United States-led global war against terrorism.

Mrs. Arroyo stressed that her leadership will not be intimidated by the recurrent bomb attacks, notably in Metro Manila and in Mindanao.

"I am happy to report to you that because of our aggressive drive against terrorism, despite the desperate resort to hit-and-run bombings, domestic terrorists, particularly the Abu Sayyaf, are on the run," she said.

"We have captured the Zamboanga bombers and identified the mastermind of the latest bus bombing in Manila. We have crushed at least five kidnap-for-ransom gangs," she added.

The President flew in here for the second stopover of her trip to Los Cabos, Mexico to attend the 10th Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit meeting which officially opens today.

Mrs. Arroyo would be the resource speaker in one of the sessions of the two-day APEC summit. She is expected to elaborate on the Philippine experience in combating terrorism through military and police action coupled with poverty-alleviation efforts.

She noted that terrorism has become a "borderless crime" and thus requires concerted efforts by the community of nations such as the APEC in solving mass poverty that served as the breeding ground for criminality and terrorism.

In her speech, Mrs. Arroyo gave her audience a brief insight into the contents of her forthcoming speech before the APEC leaders.

Some 1,200 members of the Filipino community here led by Philippine Consul General Marciano Paynor Jr. attended the gathering at the Westin Hotel.

She urged them to rally behind her government’s efforts to build a stronger nation.

"I hope that you still remember that a year and a half ago, I inherited an economy with four million jobless Filipinos and a 40 percent poverty incidence. I have come to realize that to overcome such tremendous odds, we must build a strong republic," the Chief Executive said.

"No president can build a strong republic single-handedly, but I can do this well only if I can count on the support of the more than two million Filipino-Americans. Stay with me, help me build a strong republic," she said.

She asserted that under her administration, the country’s "macroeconomic fundamentals" have shown significant growths.

Mrs. Arroyo pointed out that the country’s gross national product ranks second in Southeast Asia and third in the whole of Asia.

"Our main goal is to win the battle against poverty within the decade. But we must seek permanent national stability," the President stressed.

"These goals are also uppermost in my work program for the next six months. Even as we are resolving the terrorist threats in our country, I am focused on a tightly consolidated seven-point work program for the next six months," she added.

The seven points are: strengthening of the small and medium industries, jump-starting the housing sector, reduction of the transportation cost between Manila and Mindanao, implementing structures designed to decongest Metro Manila, maximizing contribution of the Presidential Commission on Good Government to the state’s financial resources. enhancing Metro Manila’s image as a popular tourism destination and encouraging more private investments in agriculture.

Meanwhile, US State Secretary Colin Powell expressed deep appreciation for Arroyo’s support to the US-led international coalition against terrorism.

In a brief meeting with Foreign Affairs Secretary Blas Ople at the sidelines of the APEC ministerial meeting in Los Cabos, Powell also extended condolences to relatives of the victims of terrorist attacks in Mindanao.

The top officials agreed to support APEC initiatives to promote trade security and fight terrorism.

Among these initiatives is the so-called Secure Trade in APEC Region (STAR) Initiative proposed by the US and unanimously approved by the APEC members.

STAR comprises a set of specific actions aimed at making the flow of goods and people more secure and efficient with the help of advanced technology and improved monitoring procedures.

APEC represents 60 percent of the world’s gross domestic products and half of its trade.

More advanced economies including the US, Japan, Canada and Australia have agreed to help developing economies with capacity-building assistance to enable them to achieve the goals specified under the STAR Initiative. APEC members will cooperate to promote the implementation of these measures.

Among the specific actions under the STAR Initiative were improvement of airline passenger and crew safety by introducing highly effective baggage screening procedures and equipment in all APEC international airports as soon as possible, and enhancing air cargo security by adoption of the guidelines developed by the International Air Transport Association and ICAO.

The US also welcomed a move by the Arroyo administration to host a high-level APEC meeting on maritime security next year to ensure the smooth flow of goods and people along traditional maritime routes.

The proposed maritime security conference seeks to map out new strategies and fresh approaches to upgrade maritime security in the region, especially in the light of unabated terrorist threats.

Other APEC members such as Japan, Singapore, Russia and Papua New Guinea have likewise expressed support to the projected maritime conference in Manila.