PHL underscores rule of law in sharing counterterrorism best practices

President Duterte reiterates he has no intention to abrogate military alliances PHL underscores rule of law in sharing counterterrorism best practices

The Philippines highlighted the rule of law and the protection of human rights in sharing with the United Nations its recent experience and best practices in fighting the global scourge of terrorism, the Department of Foreign Affairs on Tuesday said.

In her statement before the Sixth Committee (Legal) of the UN General Assembly, Ambassador Lourdes Yparraguirre, Permanent Representative of the Philippines to the UN, affirmed the country’s unwavering commitment to the fight against terrorism and emphasized the rule of law and human rights in the campaign to counter violent extremism using the “whole of nation” approach.

This approach engages non-traditional government agencies, the academe and the private sector as partners in the fight against terrorism.

The Ambassador informed fellow diplomats in the meeting that, “On ensuring respect for human rights and the rule of law as the fundamental basis in fighting terrorism. The Philippines finalized earlier this year its Philippine National Counter Terrorism Strategy which is a product of a series of inter-agency workshops/writeshops and built upon four work streams, namely, Prevent, Protect, Prepare and Respond with the “whole-of-nation” and “rule of law-based” approaches as guiding principles.”

Yparraguirre also outlined the Philippines’ long-standing cooperation including with the UN on counterterrorism, including the UN Center for Counterterrorism (UNCCT) on the "Advance Passenger Information" (API) and/or "Passenger Name Record" (PNR) system, as convened by the Anti- Terrorism Council, which primarily want to address the “Foreign Terrorist/ Jihadist Fighters Phenomenon” (i.e. travel for foreign nationals to Iraq or Syria to fight for DAESH), the same in relation to Article 9 of UNSC 2178 (2014) the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) on developing and strengthening "National Frameworks for the Protection and Support for Victims of Terrorism Within the Criminal Justice Framework," the UN Inter-Regional Criminal and Justice Research Institute (UNICRI) on "Biological Materials of Concern Write-Shop" consistent with the Philippines’ obligations under the Biological Weapons Convention, and with the Global Initiative on Combating Nuclear Terrorism (GICNT) under the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT).

Other relevant initiatives and accomplishments of the Philippines include harnessing the potentials of women, the youth, and Muslim leaders and teachers in coming up with a sort of a national network and a positive force for moderation, peace, democracy, and development; enacting the landmark Strategic Trade Management Act (Republic Act No. 10697) which seeks to uphold national security and support counterterrorism by preventing the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction in the country; establishing the Chemical-Biological-Radiological-Nuclear (CBRN) Center of Excellence Regional Headquarters in Manila; and training law enforcement and security experts in refining the country’s Manual on Collaborative Intelligence, Investigation and Prosecution of Terrorism-Related Cases.

http://www.pna.gov.ph/index.php?idn=1&sid=&nid=1&rid=930409