Malacañang said Monday it will demand an apology for a US Republican voter survey that included the staunch American ally among countries that aid terrorists.
The survey by the National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC) asks voters: ?Should America broaden the war on terrorism in other countries that harbor and aid terrorists such as Thailand, Syria, Somalia, the Philippines, etc.??
President Arroyo said the premise of the question ?is fallacious and the survey question itself reflects irresponsibility.?
The Philippines, she said, has been a staunch supporter of the global war against terrorism and has helped reduce terrorists?operational capability domestically and internationally.
?We don?t deserve this kind of treatment in the news,? she said. ?If this report is true, I would like the [Department of Foreign Affairs] to demand an apology for the unfair and baseless accusation that we belong to a list of countries harboring terrorists.?
Officials from the Philippine and Thai embassies in Washington said earlier the question came as a surprise since the administration of US President George W. Bush praised the countries for their roles in the antiterror war.
In Washington, NRCC spokesman Carl Forti said the question was based on information from the Council on Foreign Relations, a nonpartisan think tank based in New York. ?I think the question probably could have been vetted better,? he said.
The council?s Sharon Otterman did not agree with the question?s wording. She said the group?s website identifies the Philippines as a ?haven? for terrorism, ?but it doesn?t mean the state is helping the terrorist groups.?
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