Bioterrorism in RP very remote — AFP

The Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) ruled out yesterday any biological and chemical attacks in reprisal to the government’s unqualified support to a United States-led campaign against international terrorist Osama bin Laden and his al-Qaeda organization.

Nevertheless, the Department of Health (DOH) said it was drawing up a contingency plan to deal with possible biological and chemical attacks by terrorist groups.

AFP spokesman Brig. Gen. Edilberto Adan said such attacks are not likely to happen in the Philippines since there are more important targets elsewhere.

Adan said local terrorists do not have the capability to launch biological and chemical warfare.

"We don’t think they (local terrorists) have the capability. It requires some degree of expertise to prepare and store chemical and biological weapons," Adan said.

Health Secretary Manuel Dayrit has created a task force to map out the contingency plan following an advisory by Dr. Gro Harlem Brundtland of the World Health Organization for governments to prepare for the possibility of biological and chemical attacks on nations supporting the US campaign against international terrorism.

Brundtland issued the call during a meeting of the Western Hemisphere health ministers in Washington on Tuesday.

Adan said the terrorists would also trigger larger retaliatory action against them if they used such weapons which were banned by the Articles of War.

"They will invite more massive, more deadly retaliation from the US and its allies, so I think they should be forewarned against the use of weapons of that sort," Adan said.

Dr. Mario Baquilod of the DOH’s infectious diseases office said the plan may involve issuance of advisories to help the people cope with such attacks by groups sympathetic to Bin Laden.

Baquilod said the DOH has been coordinating with the Center for Diseases Control of the US Health Department in Atlanta, Georgia for information on safety precautions that may be disseminated to the people in case of biological or chemical attacks.

The task force is composed of experts from the DOH’s health emergency service, the infectious diseases office, the quarantine office and the capital facilities office.

Baquilod noted, however, that even the US government still has to develop adequate technology to combat the effects of biological elements.

He added that certain countries have developed their chemical weapons to make them more toxic and deadlier. – Paolo Romero, Ding Cervantes