TURNING
TERRORISM INTO AN OPPORTUNITY
Speech for the SFA’s New Year’s Reception for the Diplomatic Corps, Friday,
January 24, 2003, at the Manila Hotel Fiesta Pavilion, Rizal Park, Manila
Your Excellency Ambassador Saleh Ibrahim al-Kuwari,
Vice Dean of the Diplomatic Corps;
Distinguished members of the Consular Corps;
Esteemed co-workers in Government;
Ladies and Gentlemen:
We are still in the dawn of a new year, a new century and a new millennium.
While this is a time to stress the need for faith and renewal, the dreams
of peace, harmony and prosperity for the whole world seem to be perpetually
receding in the horizon.
We thought that with the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989, we could inherit
a world of peace and freedom and tranquility. A Japanese-American scholar,
Dr. Francis Fukuyama, was emboldened to proclaim “The End of History,” as
the titanic struggles between two competing ideologies had ended with the
triumph of liberal democracy over Communism.
Then came the shock of September 11, 2001, which suddenly altered the political
landscape of the world and prefaced the 21st century with overtures of repeated
funeral dirges as a new menace, international terrorism, rose like a monster
from the deep, holding whole societies in the grip of terror and fear.
And yet the world has once again proven itself resilient. The menace
of international terrorism has impelled the civilized world to unite against
it. The Philippines is proud to be counted in the front ranks of those
who are committed to fight terrorism in all its forms. We have done
our share and will continue to do so. We are helping galvanize the
will of the people of the Philippines and the peoples of Southeast Asia to
take a united stand against the evil of international terrorism, and we are
glad to see that progress is being made. The wicked conspirators behind
Al-Qaeda and such affiliated groups as Jemaah Islamiyah and the Abu Sayyaf
are learning that Southeast Asia is not going to be the soft belly of the
war against terrorism.
The war against terrorism has spawned other issues such as the illegal possession
by some states of weapons of mass destruction. It is clear to us that
for the world to be freed from the specter of terrorism, the United Nations
Security Council must employ all means to disarm the violators. At
the same time we share in the world’s desire that such disputes be settled
peacefully within the framework of Security Council Resolution 1441.
The answer to terrorism will not be found in glib statements, but in the
serious, undaunted and sustained actions of concerned states. The international
character of terrorism can no longer be disputed. Therefore, to meet
the common danger, all nations must pool their resources and efforts through
an unprecedented act of solidarity and cooperation.
It is for this reason that the Philippine government has been entering into
both multilateral and bilateral agreements with each of your countries in
order to strengthen our common stand against the terrorist menace.
We should turn the risks of terrorism into opportunities for stronger international
solidarity, especially in addressing the roots of terrorism in poverty, injustice
and exclusion. The threat of terrorism is already creating new pressures
for the acceleration of political, social and economic reforms in various
states. The essence of all strategy is to turn every adversity into
an opportunity, to turn risks into rewards.
At this point I would like to express the warmest appreciation and gratitude
of our government to the countries that have provided more Official Development
Assistance (ODA) to the Philippines with a special focus on the development
of Mindanao, where some provinces have offered a fertile breeding ground
for terrorism.
I would also like to assure you that this generous humanitarian policy of
your respective governments is making a difference. Witness the fact
that the Abu Sayyaf terrorist group has been cut down to a dwindling band
of bandits and criminals who are now caught in a dragnet of the Armed Forces
of the Philippines in the mountain town of Patikul, Sulu, with no means of
escape. The imminent victory of the Armed Forces of the Philippines
over this ragtag band of terrorists has been made possible by international
cooperation and will offer sound lessons to other developing states contending
with the threat of terrorism.
Still on terrorism, the Philippines is determined to halt the armed insurgencies
that have cost us dearly in terms of thousands of Filipino lives lost over
three decades, stunted economic development, and which have embroiled generations
of Filipinos in the toils of fratricidal warfare. I would like to thank
some of your countries, more specifically the United States, the United Kingdom,
Canada, the Netherlands and the European Union for having declared the New
People’s Army and its founding chairman, Mr. Jose Ma. Sison, as foreign terrorist
organizations. The aim of our policy is to bring the Communist rebels
from their killing fields to the negotiating table, where we hope a final
peace agreement can be achieved in the next 18 months of the Macapagal Arroyo
administration. This is also true of the other insurgent group, the
Moro Islamic Liberation Front. I thank all your countries for supporting
this policy of peace and development of the Republic of the Philippines.
My friends, may I take note of the fact that some embassies that closed briefly
because of some perceived threat of terrorism have now reopened and resumed
full operations. We shall continue to upgrade security for all the
embassies and consulates in the Philippines. The Philippines is not
a more dangerous place for foreigners than the countries that have produced
travel advisories inimical to the interests of this country and of the region.
We hope that this policy, which is subject to continuing review, will eventually
be revised to reflect the reality that, in general, tourists and investors
may travel safely and comfortably to the Philippines and to Southeast Asia.
This is not to say that the world as a whole has ceased to be a dangerous
place. We continue to live in a world of uncertainty and anxiety, but we
are not failing in our duty to strengthen the ramparts of peace and solidarity.
Of course the best contribution that each of our countries can make is still
to get our own house in order.
The President of the Philippines, Her Excellency Gloria Macapagal Arroyo,
has set the example of self-denial in announcing her decision not to contest
the presidential elections of 2004. She may not have succeeded in immediately
healing our political divisions with this single magnificent act, but with
this decision she has enabled and empowered herself and her government to
concentrate on urgently needed political, economic and social reforms that
will build firmer foundations for the strong Republic that she has envisioned
for the Philippines, including the conquest of the worst forms of poverty
within a decade.
In the field of foreign affairs, it shall be my endeavor to support the President’s
vision for a strong Republic, as expressed in accelerated economic and social
progress under a rule of law and a regime of freedom and social justice for
all.
The Republic of the Philippines, as the oldest constitutional democracy in
Asia, is prepared to make the fullest contribution to our common quest for
peace, stability, and prosperity in this country, in Southeast Asia, and
in the world at large. I am asking you to support the Philippines in
this noble endeavor.
We have circulated on this occasion a summary report between two covers,
which I hope will serve the purpose of a more comprehensive briefing for
the diplomatic corps. Please pick up your copies as you depart.
This saves me the trouble of giving you a more lengthy and wordy speech.
On a personal note, may I say now that after just six months in office as
Secretary of Foreign Affairs, I have adjusted to the gruelling pace of my
job and am beginning to enjoy it. In the Department of Foreign Affairs,
I enjoy the support of a first class professional staff together with our
various posts throughout the world. We are attaining by degrees our
goal of building a world-class foreign service, a foreign service inferior
to none. I have also pleasantly discovered that the nations of the
world no longer treat Manila as a diplomatic backwater. Indeed
they send their best diplomats to represent them in the Philippines.
I feel honored to have as my interlocutors such men and women of the highest
caliber from your respective countries and the international community.
And I wish to thank you all from the bottom of my heart, for the support
and cooperation you have always extended to the Department of Foreign Affairs.
Thank you and may God in heaven bless you all and your heads of state in
this New Year and beyond.
END