Palace presses Congress anew to pass anti-terror law

Malacañang again pressed Congress to pass an anti-terror law after the country won the applause of fellow members of the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation for its "most cost-effective anti-terror campaign" in the region.

In a statement released after the 13th leaders’ summit of the 21-member APEC in Busan, South Korea where President Arroyo attended, Press Secretary Ignacio Bunye said the Philippines could do a lot more in curbing terrorism with an anti-terror law.

"The accolade we received from world leaders for our most cost-effective anti-terror campaign puts the Philippines at the forefront of regional and global security," he said.

"It projects the capability of our country in dealing with the terrorist threat despite the absence of an anti-terror law. It must be stressed, however, that we could do more with one."

The anti-terror bill has been pending since the 12th Congress despite Malacañang’s strong push for the approval of the measure and warning that the "threat of terrorism does not sleep."

Mrs. Arroyo has underscored the need for an anti-terror law, saying "we have to keep our guard up and pass the anti-terrorism bill to interdict terrorists quickly and isolate them from doing harm."

Ambassador Benjamin Defensor, APEC Counter Terrorism Task Force chief, said the country’s tough stance against terrorism has been instrumental in enabling it to accomplish APEC’S objectives against terrorism.

"That is an achievement not only for the task force," he said.

"That is an achievement for the Philippines. It’s something that should make every Filipino proud. It costs less than $2,000 (per capita) to get a terrorist in our country."

The CTTF coordinates the efforts of member economies in fighting terrorism, which is regarded as a major obstacle to the growth of trade in the Pacific Rim countries.

The US government has offered a $11-million reward for the capture of two suspected terrorists believed to have led the terrorists bombings in Bali, Indonesia in 2002.

Indonesian Dulmatin carries a $10-million bounty, while compatriot Umar Patek has a $1-million reward for his capture.