Aquino: Embracing ISIS ways not in our culture

From the Manila Standard Today (Sep 20): Aquino: Embracing ISIS ways not in our culture

DESPITE the confirmation of Department of Foreign Affairs that it did send a memo to Malacanang on the possible recruitment of Filipino Muslim rebels to the Islamic State in Syria and warnings from the United States and Australia of the growing number of returning ‘jihadists’ among their citizens, President Benigno Aquino said there was no ‘hard’ evidence that Filipinos had actually been recruited by ISI jihadists.

“I have not had hard documentary evidence or hard evidence that says Filipinos have already been engaged. We do recognize the threat that we have a very significant population in the Middle East. In just two countries alone, where the major concentration is, in the neighborhood of something like 1.2 million who might be recruited, might be brainwashed by their good organizers,” said Aquino during a television interview in Paris, France.

At the same time, Aquino said the government was aware of the threat to Filipinos in both Syria and Iraq, although that it was ‘unlikely’ that Filipinos would join in the actions of ISIS.

“We would not have...for instance, suicide bombing in our country. It is not part of the culture,” he said.

The President believes that conflict has to devolve into personal level rather than one that is based solely on ideology or religious extremism. To counter this, Aquino said the government has to enable citizens to participate in the economic gains that are happening.

While Aquino said he acknowledged that the Moro Islamic Liberation Front stated that there is existing ISIS encroachment into the Bangsamoro, the president also clarified that the MILF has not confirmed the ascendancy of the so-called “caliphate”.

“What we have in the Philippines currently are people who used to say that they were affiliates of Al Qaeda. And then now that ISIS seems to be the ascendancy, they are now affiliates of the ISIS. And then tomorrow a new group comes about. I assume they’ll be joining the group or they will be the ones forming that new group to take over,” he said.

Still, the Australian Federal Police has urged its allies in the Southeast Asian Region for a cohesive intelligence cooperation against terrorists.

In a four-day Anti-Terrorism conference held in Cebu City last Monday, Australian Federal Police Commander Chris Sheehan called its counterparts in the Asian region to enhance their intelligence operations to interdict terrorists in its respective nations.

Exploring the theme dubbed as “Intelligence exchange and Intelligence Fusion,” Sheehan said “there’s a need for us to work closely together to defeat the threat of terrorism.”

Sheehand said that in Australia, the Federal Police recently arrested and detained 15 people and foiled an alleged plot by the ISIS jihadist to conduct ‘demonstration killings,’ among Australian citizens.

Sheehan also urged his colleagues in the police force to exert utmost efforts in combating terrorism through intelligence exchanges and fusion to effectively monitor the movements of suspected terrorist along their borders.

Other concerns tackled during the conference was the prevention of possible transshipment of explosive devices and materials to its respective borders by unidentified sea crafts.

The forum ended Thursday, a day after former Philippine National Police Intelligence Director Chief Supt Rodolfo “Boogie” Mendoza appealed to the government to make a shift of strategies and tactics to meet the challenges of preserving the country’s internal and external security.

Mendoza also underscored the need to developed a sub-system to cope up with the growing threat of terrorism as the Islamic State in Syria and the Levant recruits more militants in Mindanao, which he said dates to as far back as 2006.

http://manilastandardtoday.com/2014/09/20/aquino-embracing-isis-ways-not-in-our-culture/