26 February 2004 – Foreign Affairs Secretary Delia Domingo Albert said that the efforts of the Philippine Government to fight terrorism has effectively reduced the ability of terrorists to make major strikes against the Philippines.

“The assessments made by consultants and some countries that the Philippines is a prime target ignores the clear success that the Philippines has achieved in breaking the backs of local terrorists and in cutting them off from international support.  Although much remains to be done, and even though we will continue to remain vigilant, there are no direct terrorist threats against the Philippines,” Secretary Albert said.

“But perhaps I would like to address this issue by using the words of the late Secretary Blas F. Ople when asked if the Philippines is a terrorist target,” Secretary Albert said.

Quoting Secretary Ople, the Secretary said “If terrorists seek to hit us because we are a strong democracy, if terrorists cannot stand us because we are a liberal and pluralistic society, if terrorists wish to strike at us because we revere freedom and we choose our leaders freely, because we are tolerant and because we value human life, if terrorists target us because they cannot accept that we have done much to achieve peace in our country and that we are able to live peacefully with others of different faiths, then by all that is decent, we
are the target of terrorists.  We are targets for we are their enemy.”

“These are words that reflect the values of our nation and our commitment to opposing those who worship violence and terror,” the Secretary said. END.