Malaysian support behind success of AMMTC

The DILG chief assured his ASEAN counterparts that there will be no respite in the campaign against transnational crime and the Philippines will not let its guard down. (PHOTO: ASEANA/FACEBOOK)

MANILA— Progress in the ongoing Eleventh ASEAN Ministerial Meeting on Transnational Crime (11th AMMTC) can be attributed to the strong support provided by Malaysia.

“As we may recall, the previous AMMTC was hosted by Malaysia two years ago, also coinciding with their chairmanship of ASEAN in 2015 and we congratulate Malaysia for successfully hosting the 10th AMMTC back-to-back with the First Special Ministerial Meeting on the Rise of Radicalisation and Violent Extremism (SAMMRVE).By any measure, the 10th AMMTC was a success,” said Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) officer-in-charge Catalino S. Cuy.

He made the statement during the opening ceremonies of the Eleventh ASEAN Ministerial Meeting on Transnational Crimes (11th AMMTC)  held at the Conrad Grand Hotel in Pasay City Wednesday.

“By any measure, the 10th AMMTC was a success. It was during the said meeting that we adopted the Kuala Lumpur Declaration in Combating Transnational Crime, endorsed the final text of the ACTIP and APA endorsed the illicit trafficking of wildlife and timber as well as people smuggling as the new areas of transnational crimes, among other important outcomes. It was also during that time that we decided to convene the AMMTC annually,” Cuy said.

The DILG chief assured his ASEAN counterparts that there will be no respite in the campaign against transnational crime and the Philippines will not let its guard down.

“As ASEAN leaders and ministers, we are all aware of the magnitude and complexity of the evolving transnational threats and issues which we deal with even beyond our national borders. Thus, we are here today for the same reason that all of us want to forge a common and united front against transnational crime,” Cuy said.

He said all representatives of the 11th AMMTC are entrusted to tackle and come up with means to tackle threats of transnational crimes which include terrorism, trafficking in persons, cyber-crime, illicit drug trafficking, arms, smuggling, money laundering, international economic crime, sea piracy and sea robbery.