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OO RUEHWEB

DE RUEHML #2130/01 2560914
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O 120914Z SEP 08
FM AMEMBASSY MANILA
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 1815
INFO RHEHNSC/NSC WASHDC IMMEDIATE

UNCLAS MANILA 002130 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE FOR S/CT, EAP/MTS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PGOV PREL PTER RP JA AS
SUBJECT: PHILIPPINES: LOOKING AHEAD TO THE TRILATERAL 
STRATEGIC DIALOGUE 
 
REF: STATE 84610 
 
¶1. (SBU)  SUMMARY:  Embassy Manila provides the following for 
use with the upcoming Trilateral Strategic Dialogue (TSD) to 
be held in Washington.  The Philippine government has been an 
active partner in trilateral and bilateral counterterrorism 
cooperation, and continues to achieve significant progress in 
combating terrorist elements including Abu Sayyaf Group 
(ASG), Jema'ah Islamiyah (JI), and the New People's Army 
(NPA).  Pursuant to reftel, post provides herewith an update 
on trilateral counterterrorism efforts in the Philippines, as 
well as an outline of bilateral CT cooperation which may be 
relevant to future trilateral collaboration in the four 
proposed programmatic-themed working groups.  END SUMMARY. 
 
PHILIPPINE PORTS PILOT PROJECT (PPP) 
------------------------------------ 
 
¶2. (SBU)  During 2007, the Philippine government welcomed a 
proposal by the governments of Australia, Japan, and the 
United States to enhance the security of two ports in 
southern Mindanao: Davao and General Santos City.  With the 
approval of the Philippine Anti-Terrorism Council (ATC), a 
team of experts from the trilateral partners' embassies 
conducted a needs assessment of the two ports and Davao 
International Airport May 7-10, 2007, and provided the 
results of this assessment in September.  Following several 
months of analysis, the Philippine government in March 
concurred with the results of the assessment. 
 
¶3. (SBU)  Following on the successful completion of the ports 
assessment, officers from the three partner embassies met in 
January to discuss ways to improve cooperation with the 
Philippine government in the prosecution of terrorist 
suspects.  Most recently, trilateral partner embassies have 
contributed to a joint matrix showing each embassy's 
completed and planned counterterrorism activities; this will 
ultimately result in a comprehensive new workplan to build on 
the lessons learned from the Ports Pilot Project (PPP). 
 
BIOTERRORISM 
------------ 
 
¶4. (SBU)  Post's Economic Section oversees the U.S. 
Department of State, Bureau of International Security and 
Nonproliferation, Office of Cooperative Threat Reduction 
(ISN/CTR) Biosecurity Engagement Program (BEP), which was 
launched in 2006 to address the threat of bioterrorism. 
Three factors make Southeast Asia a priorty for BEP: a 
burgeoning biotechnology industry, a high rate of endemic 
tropical infectious diseases such as Avian Influenza (AI) and 
Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS), and the established 
presence of transnational terrorist groups.  Post has engaged 
the Philippine Department of Agriculture's Bureau of Animal 
Industry (DA/BAI) in BEP-organized workshops, as well as 
surveillance and diagnostics training.  Activities of 
upgrading laboratories and creating pathogen-monitoring 
systems are ongoing with the Philippine Department of Health 
(DOH) and the Regional Institute for Tropical Medicine 
(RITM).  In October, we anticipate the transfer of 
animal-incinerator equipment that will upgrade Philippine 
animal laboratories; post will facilitate corresponding 
technical consultations and training. 
 
COUNTER-RADICALIZATION AND STRATEGIC COMMUNICATION 
--------------------------------------------- ----- 
 
¶5. (SBU)  In August, Post's Public Affairs Section hosted the 
Syrian-American Imam Mohamad Bashar Arafat of Baltimore, 
Maryland, who led discussions on the importance of interfaith 
dialogue, addressing both Christian and Muslim audiences on 
the theme of "Muslim and Christian relations: Obstacles and 
Opportunities."  In addition to media interviews and talks at 
universities, city governments, and houses of worship, Imam 
Arafat reached audiences in Mindanao via digital 
videoconference.  In July, Post's Anti-Terrorism Assistance 
(ATA) unit coordinated a week-long course in "Mitigating 
Prison Inmate Radicalization" in which 30 officers and staff 
from the Philippine Bureau of Corrections participated. 
 
LAW ENFORCEMENT, TERRORIST FINANCE, AND LEGAL SECTOR 
--------------------------------------------- ------- 
 
¶6. (SBU)  ICITAP-Provided Training:  During the past year, 
post's ICITAP office has overseen the inauguration of the 
first-ever USG-funded police training on Jolo Island, an area 
often considered on the front lines of the Philippines' fight 
against Abu Sayyaf Group (ASG) and Jema'ah Islamiyah (JI) 
terrorist elements.  The six-month training program has 
 
enhanced the capacity of Philippine National Police (PNP) 
officers who are increasingly called on to assume 
public-security functions that have hertofore been the 
responsibility of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) 
in conflict-affected areas.  Successful completion of the 
Model Police Station (MPS) program included two stations in 
Mindanao (Zamboanga and Marawi); the project involved 
training and development in 14 critical law enforcement 
subjects.  Although the MPS program is not specifically 
counterterrorism in focus, the training it entails in such 
areas as crime scene exploitation, evidence handling, and 
others will support the apprehension and prosecution of 
terrorist elements. 
 
 
¶7. (SBU)  Diplomatic Security Anti-Terrorism Assistance: 
Post's Anti-Terrorism Assistance (DS/ATA) Program Manager 
oversees a broad variety of CT training, including courses in 
Interdicting Terrorist Activity, Explosive Incident 
Countermeasures, Post-Blast Investigation, Advanced Computer 
Forensics, and Cellphone Forensics.  During the past year, 
PNP officers of appropriate ranks have also been dispatched 
to participate in ILEA-Bangkok courses that included "A 
Police Executive's Role in Combating Terrorism," "Combating 
Domestic and Transnational Terrorism," and "Fraudulent Travel 
Documents."  ATA coordinated an eight-month program of 
training at Front Royal, Virginia, for Philippine handlers 
and vets of bomb-detection dogs, and funded the provision of 
trained dogs, kennels and veterinary facilities, plus 
necessary furnishings and supplies. 
 
¶8. (SBU)  Philippine Biometric Initiative:  DHS/ICE Attache 
has developed the Philippine Biometric Initiative, a program 
focused on identifying "not-yet-known" terrorists by 
collecting fingerprints, photographs, and rap sheets of 
suspected terrorists in PNP custody.  Forty-two Biometric 
Data Collection Kits (BDCKs) were purchased with support from 
the Joint Interagency Task Force-West (JIATF-W), and placed 
with local PNP stations in selected areas.  In April, DHS/ICE 
Attache conducted training for 89 PNP and Bureau of Jail 
Management and Penology personnel in subjects that included 
maintenance of BDCKs, fingerprinting, computer processing of 
digital photos, encryption of files, as well as computer and 
communications security.  As of August 1, biometric data for 
100 suspected terrorists have been obtained. 
 
¶9. (SBU)  Terrorist Finance:  Embassy's Economic Section has 
the lead on all terrorist-finance issues, and coordinates 
efforts by Treasury, Justice, FBI, and other USG agencies in 
assisting Philippine counterpart agencies in efforts to 
locate, freeze, and seize the assets of designated terrorist 
organizations and individuals.  The Economic Section's 
Terrorism Finance Coordination Officer also assists the 
Philippine government with its own terrorist designations 
under UNSCR 1267, including, most recently, the Rajah Soliman 
Movement (RSM). 
 
BORDER, TRANSPORT, AND MARITIME SECURITY 
---------------------------------------- 
 
¶10. (SBU)  Coastwatch South and Related Programs:  The 
Coastwatch South (CWS) program continues to move toward full 
implementation.  When completed, CWS will include 12-17 
coastal radar sites connected by a string of air, ocean 
surface, and ground surveillance and interdiction assets, 
covering the vast sea-lane approaches to Davao, Sarangani, 
and the Sulu Archipelago, in what has been called the 
"Terrorist Transit Triangle."  With FY2008 NDAA Section 1206 
Funds, the USG will supply via JUSMAG four coastal radar 
stations and the equipment necessary to get CWS headquarters 
up and running at Camp Navarro in Zamboanga.  JUSMAG has 
requested four additional radar stations under FY2009 1206 
Funds, and the Philippine government is constructing an 
additional station on Taganak Island, off the coast of Sabah 
(Malaysian Borneo) in the Philppines' remote Turtle Islands. 
 
¶11. (SBU)  Additional equipment being supplied to the 
Philippine Navy in support of CWS includes six 7-meter 
Rigid-Hull Inflatable Boats (RHIBs), four 11-meter RHIB 
boats, together with storage facilities, trailers, spare 
engines, crew-served weapons, radios, GPS, night-vision 
devices, and other supporting equipment.  The Philippine 
Navy's Islander surveillance aircraft will be equipped with 
Forward-Looking Infrared Radar (FLIR) pods.  Under FY2009 
1206 Funds, JUSMAG has requested Zodiac boat packages for the 
Philippine Naval Special Operations Group (NAVSOG) and 
CENTRIX Secure Information Exchange technology for CWS 
headquarters. 
 
¶12. (SBU)  Special Boats Unit:  ICITAP is moving ahead with 
the Special Boat Unit for PNP Maritime Police in Puerto 
Princesa, Palawan province's capital city which lies on the 
Sulu Sea.  The Sulu Sea is well known as a crossroads for 
movement of terrorists, undocumented aliens and victims of 
trafficking, as well as illicit firearms and other smuggled 
goods.  The Special Boat Unit will entail the provision of 
five specially-built police boats, as well as construction of 
dock facilities, an office building, and boathouse.  This 
project, the completion of which is anticipated for March 
2009, will greatly enhance the ability of police to interdict 
the transit of criminal and terrorist elements and illicit 
materials. 
 
¶13. (SBU)  Megaports Program:  The objective of this program, 
overseen by the Embassy's Economics Section, is to detect 
radioactive materials that could be smuggled into or out of 
the country by terrorists to make weapons of mass 
destruction.  The program features large-scale 
radiation-inspection monitors through which trucks carrying 
shipping containers must pass.  In July 2005, the U.S. 
Department of Energy (USDOE) signed an Agreement with the 
Philippine Department of Science and Technology to implement 
the program at two ports: Manila's South Harbor and the 
Manila International Container Terminal (MICT); construction 
of the portals was completed in March 2008.  With the 
cooperation of the Philippine Ports Authority (PPA), 
Philippine Customs, and the ports' private operators, USDOE 
has trained a Philippine interagency team in the use and 
maintenance of the equipment, which is now operational. 
 
¶14. (SBU)  Post's point of contact for the TSD CT 
consultations is Political Officer Philip Thompson: phone 
(63-2) 301-2583; fax: (63-2) 301-2472; E-mail: 
ThompsonPA@State.gov. 
LINDBORG