'OFWs can also fight terror'

Aside from keeping the country’s economy afloat, overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) may also contribute in the fight against terrorism, said a Manila-based US Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) officer on Saturday.

According to Stephen Cutler, the US Embassy’s FBI Legal Attaché, OFWs are capable of establishing “people to people understanding" and in effect, destroy hate, which he said is the root of terrorism.

“The OFWs allow the Philippines a unique window to the world. They help bridge the gap between people [in different countries] and improve trade," said Culter in a lecture on Global Terrorism at the Philippine College of Criminology.

Culter explained that the more than 8 million OFWs all over the globe, some in countries believed to be ridden with terrorists, directly relay understanding of cultures to their family members.

“[The government] needs to tap into that network that is unrivaled in other countries," Culter said. - Mark Ubalde, GMANews.TV

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