WITH the Philippines ranked 11th out of 162 countries affected by terrorism, and the Western world still reeling from the deadly Paris attacks, the Philippines should look into its own national security issues and devise a National Security Strategy, Senator Grace Poe said Wednesday.
Poe, a leading presidential candidate, said the Philippines’ National Security Council had not been convened since 2010.
“The fact that terrorism thrives in situations of poverty and exclusion makes the issue of security more challenging for the Philippines,” Poe said in a statement.
“And yet in the face of this we don’t even have a concrete security strategy.”
Poe made her statement even as Defense Secretary Voltaire Gazmin said Wednesday his department was not stopping the public from going to the malls but reminded them to be vigilant.
In an interview on the sidelines of the Senate plenary debates on his department’s proposed P116-billion budget for next year, Voltaire said the threat was always there so “we don’t put our guards down.”
“We should always be aware there is danger, so be vigilant and be aware at all times,” Gazmin said.
“For anything that is unusual and not normal, report things to authorities.”
In the 2015 Global Terrorism Index released by the international research organization Institute for Economics and Peace, the Philippines ranked 11th out of 162 countries considered greatly affected by terrorism. The GTI cited 318 terrorism-related incidents in the Philippines that left 240 people dead in 2014.
Still, the Philippines’ latest ranking is already an improvement from its ninth spot in 2013 spot.
The GTI report identified the Philippines as among the countries where terrorist fighters from Iraq and Syria are produced and trained, a claim consistently denied by the Armed Forces of the Philippines.
The GTI measures the impact of terrorism and releases a score that represents a five-year weighted average. Its latest report found that 32,658 people were killed by terrorism in 2014 compared to 18,111 in 2013, the largest increase ever recorded.
“With or without threats, the government has to show its people that it is in control,” Poe said. “Our country is already vulnerable as it is so we must take security issues very seriously and make sure that we do not become the breeding ground for terrorists.
“We must also work to strengthen international relations for intensified intelligence-gathering.”
Poe called on the NSC to draft a new National Security Policy and a National Security Strategy.
“The culture of strategic thinking is needed. Let us be pro-active instead of reactive,” Poe said.
“We should transform the AFP into a strong and credible institution built on good governance.”