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Philippines President Seeks U.S. Help in Kidnapping, Terrorism
By Kazi Mahmood
MANILA, Nov 16 (IslamOnline) - In a move to reassure businessmen worried about the sharp rise in kidnappings, President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo said she would ask the United States, Britain and Israel to train local police in going after kidnap-for-ransom syndicates.
She also said she was looking for military and other intelligence aids to help the Philippines combat against terrorism.
A team of American military advisers visited the Philippines recently in order to assist the Filipino military in its fight against the Abu Sayyaf group.
The Philippines intends to ask for financial and technical aid from the U.S., including an upgrading of the equipment of the Filipino army, which the President said was outdated.
The President said Wednesday she would also deploy battle-hardened Marines, as well as members of the PNP Special Action Force, to Metro Manila after they have "finished off" the Abu Sayyaf bandits in Basilan.
She said the Marines and special action force were needed to beef up the security in other parts of the country.
"I can hardly wait for the Marines and the Special Action Force to arrive in Manila," she said.
The rise in kidnappings has prompted a major police revamping. Arroyo said she had reinstated Police Director Edgardo Aglipay as head of the National Capital Region Police Office because the incidence of kidnappings was low during his stint.
Arroyo, who left for the United States late Wednesday, clearly said her government would seek U.S. aid in her government's fight against Islamic guerrillas who she claims are linked to Osama bin Laden.
Arroyo said she would hold talks with U.S. President George W. Bush next week "to define what the Philippines needs to successfully prosecute this campaign" against the Abu Sayyaf, which operates in southwestern Mindanao.
"We shall talk about military and police hardware and software for our security, defense and law enforcement programs," she added.
Arroyo said she would also visit the ruins of the New York's World Trade Center, destroyed when hijackers drove two commercial jets into the Twin Towers, allegedly under the orders of bin Laden.
The Abu Sayyaf rebels have reportedly received training and aid from bin Laden's al-Qa'eda terrorist network.
"The world has changed since September 11. We live in a less secure, less safe and less stable planet," Arroyo said before boarding a commercial flight with key members of her cabinet, including Defense Secretary Angelo Reyes.
Philippine military officials have been pushing for U.S. military equipment, including combat helicopters, to help them fight the Abu Sayyaf.
U.S. military aid to Manila has declined since the Filipino Senate voted to end the Pentagon's access to two major military bases in the Philippines in 1991, though the two sides continue to hold annual joint military exercises.
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