Citizens must play role in fight vs. terror: AFP

FILE: This was stressed by AFP spokesperson Col. Edgard Arevalo when sought for comment on the purported entry of foreign terrorists in the country. (PNA photo)

MANILA — While the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) is doing everything in its authority to defeat terrorism, the citizenry also needs to play a role by reporting the presence of suspicious looking persons in their neighborhood.

This was stressed by AFP spokesperson Col. Edgard Arevalo when sought for comment on the purported entry of foreign terrorists in the country.

“We cannot discount the possibility of foreign fighters surreptitiously able to enter the country given our vast and porous borders,” he added.

And while the military is exerting all efforts to guard possible entry points, Arevalo said they needed the vigilance, cooperation, and active participation of the citizenry in the communities who could monitor and report arrival of new faces in the neighborhood.

Such assistance was of great value together with the relevant domestic and international agencies, Arevalo pointed out.

He was referring to the conventions and agreements recently signed by the Philippines such as the trilateral joint patrol agreements with Malaysia and Indonesia which aimed to defeat piracy and terrorism in areas of common concern.