DFA: PH won’t be haven for terrorists

The Philippines will continue to take “bold and decisive steps” to fight terrorism and ensure that the country would not be a “haven” for terrorists, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said on Friday.

The agency issued the statement after the US State Department released its Country Reports Terrorism 2016, which showed that the Philippines was among the five nations with the most number of terrorist attacks.

READ: PH failed to stop terrorist attacks in 2016–US state dep’t

“The report helps elucidate further the very clear and present danger posed by terrorism in the country,” the DFA said in a statement.

“The Duterte administration recognized this early, and will continue to take bold and decisive steps to eliminate this nefarious threat, destroy their resource channels from illicit drugs and other crimes, and ensure that the Philippines will not be a haven for their operations.”

“As we work within the rule of law and with international partners, the government will spare no effort to achieve these objectives and secure a safe and peaceful future for the Filipino people,” the DFA added.

The report said that while the Philippines continued to make progress against terrorism with the peaceful elections last year, “the emergence of ISIS (Islamic State in Iraq and Syria)‑affiliated extremist groups, persistent kidnappings by the Abu Sayyaf, attacks on government forces, and bombings” remained a serious problem.

The Philippine military is engaged in a nearly two-month-long fight with the ISIS-inspired Maute group in Marawi. IDL/rga