AUSTRALIA ON THURSDAY VOWED TO HELP THE PHILIPPINES STRENGTHEN SECURITY AT ITS BORDERS AGAINST THE POSSIBLE ENTRY OF TERRORISTS, NUCLEAR MATERIALS AND BIOLOGICAL WEAPONS UNDER A NEW REGIONAL COUNTER-TERRORISM ASSISTANCE PACKAGE, DPA REPORTED. PABLO KANG, DEPUTY CHIEF OF MISSION OF THE AUSTRALIAN EMBASSY IN MANILA, SAID CANBERRA HAS CHOSEN THE PHILIPPINES TO BE ONE OF THE RECIPIENTS OF THE NEW ASSISTANCE PACKAGE WORTH 92.6 MILLION AUSTRALIAN DOLLARS (71.38 MILLION US DOLLARS). "THESE MEASURES ARE A FURTHER MANIFESTATION OF AUSTRALIA'S LONG-TERM COMMITMENT TO PEACE AND DEVELOPMENT IN THE PHILIPPINES," HE SAID. KANG SAID THE FUND WOULD BE USED ON LAW ENFORCEMENT TRAINING, INTELLIGENCE AND BORDER CONTROL OVER THE NEXT FOUR YEARS. "AUSTRALIA'S REGIONAL COUNTER-TERRORISM PACKAGE WILL BENEFIT THE PHILIPPINES TO HAVE INCREASED BASIC INVESTIGATIVE AND SPECIALIST LAW ENFORCEMENT TRAINING, AND FURTHER SPECIALIST FORENSIC AND TECHNICAL TRAINING BY THE AUSTRALIAN FEDERAL POLICE," HE SAID. THE PHILIPPINES AND AUSTRALIA ARE CURRENTLY NEGOTIATING A DEFENCE AGREEMENT THAT WOULD ALLOW AUSTRALIAN TROOPS TO TRAIN WITH FILIPINO COUNTERPARTS IN THE COUNTRY.
