UK prods gov’t on anti-terror bill

Britain is urging the Philippine government to urge Congress to immediately pass a law that would strengthen its fight against terrorism.

In an interview at Malaysia’s Independence Day reception at the Dusit Hotel in Makati City Tuesday night, British Ambassador Peter Beckingham said he has been discussing the anti-terrorism law pending in Congress and counter-terrorism measures with Justice Secretary Raul Gonzalez and National Security Adviser Norberto Gonzales.

"That’s right," Beckingham said when asked if Britain would like to see the Philippine Congress push through an anti-terrorism law.

"It is something that we talked to your government about. I talked to the justice secretary about it. I talked to the national security adviser about it and we would be very supportive of a measure to strengthen counter-terrorism measures in the Philippines," he said.

Beckingham said he wished to convey to Philippine officials that the absence of an anti-terrorism law would hinder the country’s anti-terror campaign.

"I have spoken to him (justice secretary) several times over the last few months," he said. "We are very keen that you do look at that (anti-terrorism law) very carefully."

Beckingham said the Philippines will hold a very important position as head of the UN Security Council this month, and added the British government is keen on focusing on the concerns about oil and counter-terrorism.

"But you will be in the chair so you hold a very important position," he noted.

"We are very keen (on) working closely with the Philippines about what’s going to be discussed at the UN. We are talking to your mission in New York about the meetings in the UN.

"I’m sure that (the steady increase in oil prices) will be one of the items on the agenda. Another one which we are very keen to focus on is the need to do more work on counter-terrorism.

"And we are talking to your mission about that and to other missions as well."

The British government has introduced counter-terrorism bills in Parliament and has been exchanging information about it with the Philippines, Beckingham said.

However, Sen. Manuel Villar Jr. said the Senate committee on public order and illegal drugs, which he chairs, is consolidating five counter-terror bills, among them Senate Bill 735 or the Anti-Terrorism Bill, which he authored.

Villar’s bill seeks to protect the lives and property of Filipinos against all acts of terrorism by adopting adequate, efficient and effective countermeasures to fight, suppress and penalize all acts of terrorism.

The four other anti-terrorism bills filed in the Senate are SB 831, authored by Senators Panfilo Lacson and Juan Ponce Enrile; SB 871 submitted by Sen. Jinggoy Estrada; SB 1736 by Sen. Ramon Magsaysay Jr.; and SB 1768 by Sen. Alfredo Lim.

"The committee has held three public hearings on the issue of anti-terrorism," Villar said in a statement.

"Our members and staff are now busy consolidating the five bills and fine-tuning their details, technicalities or legalities. So far, we have had four technical working group sessions. Two or more TWG meetings are in the offing."

All the bills strongly condemn terrorism and commonly seek to define terrorism as a heinous crime against humanity, he added.

Villar said the five bills all propose that adequate, efficient and effective measures be put in place to fight, suppress and penalize all forms of terrorism.

"We are really putting our heads together to come up with an all-encompassing and comprehensive anti-terrorism law to make terrorists powerless to circumvent the law," he said.

"We also recognize that terrorists nowadays are more aggressive, thus we have to outsmart them and the first step in making sure of that is to have a law with no loopholes whatsoever," Villar added.

The bills acknowledge the borderless nature of terrorism and encourage global cooperation to combat it, he said.

The Philippines assumes the presidency of the United Nations Security Council beginning today, but the country has not yet passed its own anti-terrorism law.

The US government said the absence of a law defining and codifying terrorist acts and restrictions on gathering of evidence hinders the effective prosecution of terrorism cases in the Philippines.

Meanwhile, the Philippines and Indonesia strengthened anew their border relations in the fight against terrorism, as well as against lawlessness and criminality, particularly on the high seas.

The two countries held here Tuesday afternoon the 24th Chairman’s Conference of the RP-RI Border Committee Meeting with the issue of terrorism on the agenda.

"In this time when there is a global thrust to combat terrorism, it is very important that we as neighbors unite and strengthen our forces and integrate our efforts," Armed Forces Southern Command chief Lt. Gen. Alberto Braganza told the participants at the conference.

At least 23 high-ranking Indonesian army and naval officials led by Maj. Gen. Arief Budi Sampurno attended the cross-border meeting that also sought to improve on existing mechanisms in the border cooperation between the two countries.

The open border waters between Indonesia and the Philippines have been the subject of intense intelligence surveillance since members of the Jakarta-based Jemaah Islamiyah international terrorist group reportedly entered Mindanao through them.

The JI-linked terrorists were reported to have been behind the series of bombings and other attacks in certain areas in Mindanao and Metro Manila.

And among the proposals presented during yesterday’s border conference was for the delimitation of the marine boundary of the two countries as well as increasing the regular size for carriers of the so-called frequent "border crossers."

These border crossers are known to carry commercial merchandise sold usually in the islands within territorial waters.

It was also suggested that Philippine Air Force reserve auxiliary tactical support wing air assets for search and rescue operations in the border area.

The Indonesians, on the other hand, proposed that support should be given for the cost and transportation of victims of sea disasters who must be sent back to their respective countries. — Pia Lee-Brago, Christina Mendez, Edith Regalado