Press Release
May 3, 2011

ANGARA : BEEF UP ANTI-TERRORISM MEASURES IN PHL

Senator Edgardo J. Angara called upon the government to establish more stringent security measures to protect the people against possible acts of terrorism triggered by the death of Al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden.

"We should remain vigilant. We must not let our guard down because we see how these terrorist cells evolve--we should assume that another has taken his place to lead the terrorist group," said Angara.

The Philippines is in a unique and possibly risky situation: the local militant group Abu Sayyaf, which has carried out scores of violent crimes such as kidnappings, bombings and assassinations in the country for almost two decades has been repeatedly linked with Al-Qaeda.

According to Angara, terrorism-related legislation is necessary because the Philippines, has had its own share of violent acts especially in the last decade.

Early this year, Angara authored Senate Bill No. 2676, "An Act Defining Terrorist Financing as a Crime and Providing Penalties Therefor".

Also known as the Terrorist Financing Suppression Act of 2011, this bill seeks to criminalize the act of funding terrorism as a separate and punishable offense.

This bill would enable authorities to look into the financial background and immediately freeze the bank account of a suspected backer even without obtaining a court order.

"It is a known fact that terrorism is mainly dependent on funding. To prevent these heinous acts, authorities must be able to block their access to their money and penalize the financers even without an actual terrorist act taking place," Angara explained.

News Latest News Feed