THE US State Department’s “Country Reports on Terrorism 2010” praises the Philippines for the decline in the ability of terrorist and insurgent groups to launch attacks.

Released last week, the report says this weakening of the capacity of the Abu Sayyaf Group, Jemaah Islamiah, and the New People’s Army to conduct terrorist activities inside the Philippines was a result of better anti-terrorism work by Philippine law enforcers. The report also said that with US support, Filipino security forces have been able to maintain constant pressure against the terrorists despite being “stretched thin by other demands, such as carrying out humanitarian assistance and disaster relief and providing security for the national election in May.”

The report praises Philippine law enforcers for good work in neutralizing terrorists and breaking up their chain of safe havens. Filipino operatives have been doing this work in collaboration with American counterparts.

Under former president Gloria Macapagal Arroyo, counter terrorism cooperation between the Philippines and the US was a well-established and smooth program. “The election of President Benigno Simeon ‘Noynoy’ Aquino III did not result in major changes to counter terrorism policy, and his new administration has continued strong counter terrorism cooperation with the United States,” the report said.

This US State Department observation was again confirmed to be true by President Aquino who called on Congress to pass amendments to the Human Security Act on Tuesday. The amendments would further strengthen the government’s capacity to deal with terrorists. In his Legislative-Executive Development Advisory Council (Ledac) meeting last Tuesday with the senators and representatives, the President laid out what laws he wanted Congress to prioritize. The law amending the HSA was among the 13 new priorities.

The amendments would strike out some of the law’s safeguards against human rights abuses that security forces might commit in the campaign against terrorists and rebels. Human rights groups and left-wing militant organizations have been warning against the removal of these safeguards that the military and police claim to have made it difficult for them to deal with terrorists.