The Philippines will join Malaysia and Indonesia in a tri-border police and prosecutor international program initiated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) next month in the United States (US) as the global war against terrorism continues.

Regional Director Ric Diaz, chief of National Bureau of Investigation – Counter Terrorism Unit (NBI-CTU), will join the four-man Philippine delegate to attend Tri-Border Police and Prosecutor International Visitor’s Program (IVP) scheduled on November 2-13, 2009.

Apart from Diaz, two officials from the Philippine National Police (PNP) and one prosecutor will join the Philippine team.

“The program will be a two-week study tour to the US for operational-level police managers and prosecutors working counter-terrorism matters,” said Diaz, adding that participants will travel to Washington D.C. on October 31 where the program will begin on November 2.

He said the group will also travel to New York City, Los Angeles, California and Honolulu.

“Law enforcement agencies all over the world continue to maximize efforts to fight terrorism. This is a global war against terrorism and Philippine enforcement agencies are very much involved to efforts to counter terrorisms,” said Diaz.

Diaz earlier said that 70 percent of terrorists’ acts involve explosion, mines and bombs, the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) put up a bomb and improvised explosive devices (IEDs) display to identify bomb signatures of different terrorists’ groups from various countries.

Diaz said they are started implementing programs to enhance the expertise of CTU agents and investigators to probe cases of terrorism as well as to counter terrorism acts.

“We have to read the minds of all terrorists groups to neutralize them. The aim of this bomb and IEDs display is educational and for us to identify the bomb signatures and many things. This is material in conducting investigation involving terrorists,” said Diaz in an interview.

Aside from equipping NBI bomb experts with knowledge to immediately identify bomb signatures, the bomb and IEDs display will also help them to study the mechanisms of all different bombs and IEDs.

Diaz said the display includes bombs, mines and IEDs which formed part as evidence in all the cases which were investigated by the bureau for the past four years.

“You would see blasting caps recovered in the recent Cavite raid. We have also pipe bombs, timers, mines, bombs and many things here. We have carefully studying this like on how a cellular phone is being used to blow up buildings,” said Diaz.

Diaz said they have to be expert in identifying bomb signature so they would immediately know which group is behind the terrorist act.

“Because of bomb signature, we would know if this is the work of Abu Sayyaf Group or Jemaah Islamiyah and other terrorists group,” said Diaz.

Diaz also said international terrorist groups are also upgrading their know-how in bombs and the bureau and other law enforcement agencies have to cope with this. “We are coping  with this situation and this is the reason why we are also improving our know- how in bombs and IEDs and similar explosives,” said Diaz.