24 February 2005 – Foreign Affairs Secretary Alberto G. Romulo announced today that the United Nations will be providing the Philippine Government assistance in its ongoing efforts to craft its domestic anti-terrorism legislation.

Following a report by Ambassador Victor G. Garcia III, Philippine Embassy in Vienna, who concurrently serves as Philippine Permanent Representative to the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), Secretary Romulo said that the UNODC Terrorism Prevention Branch based in Vienna will be sending a team of experts to Manila to lead a workshop for key officials from both the Legislature and the Executive branch scheduled at the Department of Foreign Affairs on 1 March 2005.

The workshop, funded by the UN, will review and assist Philippine efforts to draft terrorism laws. Through the workshop, the UN hopes to help the Philippine government ensure that legislative and other measures would be in harmony with the principles, measures, and penal provisions emanating from the twelve (12) existing major multilateral conventions and protocols related to States’ responsibilities for combating terrorism, which were negotiated between 1963 and 1999. The workshop will also provide the UN experts and Philippine officials an opportunity to assess the state of the Philippines’ current implementation of the provisions of these international instruments.

The twelve universal terrorism-related conventions and protocols, negotiated between 1963 and 1999, define the States’ responsibilities for combating this global menace.   They  include the International Convention on the Suppression of Terrorist Bombings (1997); the International Convention for the Suppression of the Financing of Terrorism (1998); and the International Convention against the Taking of Hostages (1979). The Philippines is a State Party to all twelve instruments.

“We are grateful to the UNODC for sharing their expertise and advice through this timely activity, in aid of our efforts to enact laws against terrorism,” Secretary Romulo said. “Through this workshop, the Philippines not only affirms its resolve to address this threat, but also underscores its commitment to embark on this critical endeavor in partnership with the UN and the international community,” the Secretary added.

The Secretary expressed his confidence that the workshop will provide valuable inputs and additional impetus to efforts at both chambers of the Philippine Congress to enact anti-terrorism legislation.

Secretary Romulo commended the Philippine Embassy in Vienna and Ambassador Garcia for their instrumental role in securing this UN assistance. END
 
 

/jay