A report from the United States Department
of Defense Lead Inspector General said threat groups “strain” the Armed Forces
of the Philippines’ (AFP) “limited” resources on counterterrorism. The
quarterly report of the Lead Inspector General for the US’ Operation Pacific
Eagle-Philippines was released at a time when the Philippines’ military chief
insists that the Philippines can rely on its own strength after the termination
of the Visiting Forces Agreement (VFA) with the US.
The report, which was submitted to the US
Congress, identified the threat groups as the Islamic State East Asia (ISIS-EA)
terrorist organizations and the communist New People’s Army (NPA).
“While there have been no reports of
coordination between the NPA and ISIS-EA, the separate threats strain the AFP’s
limited counterterrorism resources,” the report said.
It also cited a note from the Defense
Intelligence Agency, which previously mentioned that the AFP “operates under
tight budgetary, resource and capability constraints, and its leadership often
faces challenges balancing the operational demands of combating the separate
communist and Islamist insurgencies.”
Gen. Felimon Santos Jr., the Armed Forces
chief of staff, has said in his interview at the Senate that the military “can
move on” even without the VFA, noting how Manila came through when the bases
agreement was scrapped in the 1990s.
But the US Department of Defense Lead
Inspector General’s report cited that US forces had provided military advice
and assistance in supporting the Philippine military’s fight against
terrorists, mostly in Mindanao.
The assistance includes intelligence,
surveillance and reconnaissance, targeting assistance for around 30
“high-valued” terrorists, which was reported to have led to the neutralization
of two “significant targets” by the Philippine military.
Aside from limited resources in combating
terrorism, the report also mentioned that the AFP had “limited ability” in
evacuating its patients by air.
It said the US Special Operations Command
in the Pacific had employed contracted casualty evacuation assets in support of
the Philippine military in instances that wounded Philippine soldiers must be
transported to medical facilities “with higher level of care.”
“These aerial evacuations are most common
for urgent and priority casualties in the remote, mountainous areas of Sulu,
where the ASG (Abu Sayyaf Group) is most active,” the report added.
President Rodrigo Duterte ordered the VFA
scrapped following the cancellation of the US visa of Sen. Ronald “Bato” dela
Rosa, one of the President’s staunchest ally in the Senate.
Sumber: The Manila Times – 15 February 2020
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