Country Reports on Terrorism 2012

curfews and limits on their travel and contacts. While the government portrayed the
disengagement program as highly successful, it lacked demonstrable metrics for its
effectiveness. As this program was directed primarily at ISA detainees, it was unclear what will
become of the program in the wake of the ISA’s mid-2012 repeal.
PHILIPPINES
Overview: The Philippines maintained its strong counterterrorism cooperation with the United
States. The ability of terrorist groups, including the Abu Sayyaf Group (ASG), Jemaah Islamiya
(JI), and the Communist People’s Party/New People’s Army (CPP/NPA), to conduct terrorist
activities inside the Philippines remained constrained. Terrorist groups’ acts were generally
limited to criminal activities designed to generate revenue for self-sustainment, such as
kidnapping for ransom or extortion. Nonetheless, members of these groups were suspected to
have carried out bombings against government, public, and private facilities, primarily in the
central and western areas of Mindanao; others were linked to extortion operations in other parts
of the country.
The Government of the Philippines continued to implement its 2011–2016 Internal Peace and
Security Plan that calls for the transition of internal security functions from the Armed Forces of
the Philippines (AFP) to the Philippine National Police (PNP). The increasing role of the police
in maintaining internal security in conflict-affected areas will permit the AFP to shift its focus to
enhancing the country's maritime security and territorial defense capabilities.
On October 15, the peace panels of the government and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front
signed the Framework Agreement on the Bangsamoro, which lays out a roadmap to a
comprehensive peace agreement and calls for the creation of the Bangsamoro entity to replace
the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao. A comprehensive peace agreement has the
potential to improve peace and security in Mindanao.
2012 Terrorist Incidents: High-profile terrorist incidents included:
On May 31, an improvised explosive device (IED) detonated in front of the residence of
Isabela City Mayor Santos-Akbar, wounding two civilians.
On July 26, nine soldiers were killed and 12 wounded when the AFP clashed with
militants in Sumisip on the island of Basilan. Five militants were reportedly killed in the
incident.
On August 16, a bomb destroyed a city bus in Zamboanga City, injuring at least seven. A
second bomb exploded an hour later in front of a nearby mosque. No one was injured in
the second blast.
On September 1, 48 civilians were injured when a grenade exploded during a village
fiesta in Paquibato District outside of Davao City. The NPA later issued an apology for
the attack, claiming the grenade was thrown at an AFP detachment but bounced off some
netting and landed inside an adjacent basketball gym where a circus was being held.
On October 11, an IED exploded near the entrance of Maxandrea Hotel in downtown
Cagayan de Oro City, killing two civilians after police arrived to investigate suspicious
activity reported in the area. A second IED was found in a street adjacent to the hotel, but
was safely detonated.
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