The Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) joined its American allies Saturday, September 11, in commemorating the tragic 9/11 terror attacks in the United States exactly 20 years ago.
The 9/11 attacks refer to a series of four coordinated terror acts perpetrated by the terrorist group al-Qaeda, founded by its infamous leader Osama bin Laden, on Sept. 11, 2001.
The al-Qaeda hijacked four commercial airliners and crashed it into its targets: the twin towers of the World Trade Center, American military's headquarters at Pentagon, and field near a small community in Pennsylvania.
Colonel Ramon Zagala, AFP spokesperson, said the incident has "forever changed the security environment" but "strengthened international cooperation" in fighting violent extremism and terrrorism.
"Two decades since, we continue to adapt to the changing security landscape and as threats evolve, we must also evolve," Zagala said.
He said the AFP has adopted programs that they learned from shared experiences with its foreign allies. He said these programs seek to build resilient communities and protect vulnerable sectors in the country.
"Our peace-building efforts also brought about greater trust, respect, and optimism among our people and as part of our contribution in ensuring that such tragedy does not happen to anyone again," Zagala noted.
In the country, the military leadership has been trying a new solution to address the radicalization of Filipinos and prevent future terror attacks.
During his assumption ceremony in July, AFP Chief Lt. Gen. Jose Faustino Jr. vowed to establish a Center for Preventing and Countering Violent Extremism (CPCVE) to "better understand the intricacies" of violent extremism and "find relevant solutions" to prevent it.
He said the CPCVE will provide a "holistic, inter-disciplinary, collaborative, community-based, and preventive approach" to study, document, and quantify the nature and magnitude of the threat factors that contribute to the radicalization of Filipinos.