PNP admits getting advance info on terror alerts

MANILA, Philippines - The Philippine National Police (PNP) yesterday admitted receiving intelligence information from other countries on a threat from terror groups.

PNP deputy spokesman Senior Superintendent Noel Barraceros said they have been trying to validate the raw intelligence report they received from various sources.

Barraceros’ statement was in contrast to the earlier declaration made by President Aquino that foreign countries did not share information with the Philippines that eventually led to the spate of adverse travel advisories.

Barraceros stressed the PNP has been trying to confirm the reports through their intelligence operatives.

“Yes, we received such reports of terror threats, but just like reports from Indonesia, the only thing (about the report) was it was generic. (There were) no specific target and no specific focus,” Barraceros said.

He said the PNP and other security forces were in the process of verifying the information when the six countries issued their respective travel advisories.

The United States, the United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand, Canada and France issued separate warnings against traveling to the Philippines, citing imminent terror attacks, particularly in Metro Manila.

The President lamented other countries that issued the spate of adverse travel advisories did not even bother to coordinate with their Philippine counterparts on intelligence matters to check if the reported terror threats were real and accurate.

Mr. Aquino said he himself received what could be called an intelligence report through a text message on his cellphone.

“It was in the form of an SMS message. And we receive many SMS messages daily. I get a daily situational report. None of these situational reports indicated a potential threat from foreign-based terrorists,” he said.

Mr. Aquino said the text message is not what could be considered a formal notification of raw intelligence information.

“There was no formal notification of the same (raw information). One agency tried to verify the data that they got because it was an unverified report at that time,” he said.

Mr. Aquino said he shared the information with his security officials but there was nothing to confirm the threat.

“They (security officials) contacted various contacts, embassies and asked exactly what the basis were. And they came out with the (conclusion that the ) purported plot didn’t make sense, from ‘terrorific’ activities to targeting individuals which was not the pattern of the Islamic jihadists,” he said.

Mr. Aquino said he would be raising the issue before the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Summit in Yokohama, Japan where he will be meeting with various leaders in the Asia Pacific region.

“We’ll ask those who have more intelligence apparatus, those who have more resources to share perhaps more timely background, the results of their intelligence, especially the war on terrorism, which is a global phenomenon not just for our country,” he said.

Barraceros, on the other hand, said the PNP took the initiative to implement stringent security measures upon receipt of the threat report.

He clarified, however, that the PNP is not trying to downplay threats from terror groups.

“PNP chief Director General Raul Bacalzo directed all police regional and provincial units to conduct verification on the reports,” he said.

Barraceros said they are not blaming the six countries for issuing the travel advisories. “We can’t blame them, they are just trying to be one step ahead.”

As early as Nov. 1, the PNP, the Department of National Defense (DND), and the National Intelligence Coordinating Agency (NICA) were notified of a fresh terrorist threat in the country by foreign governments.

The information was contained in the response of several embassies to a note verbale from the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA), demanding to know the basis for travel advisories issued by six governments regarding the risk of terrorist attacks in the Philippines. - With Delon Porcalla