DND chief: Situation ‘quiet’ despite sympathy attack threats

All is relatively "quiet" amid persistent warnings of sympathy attacks in the wake of Manila’s declaration of support to the US-led war against Iraq, Defense Secretary Angelo Reyes said the other night.

At the same time, Reyes pointed out that the situation in Iraq would be the same, regardless of whether the Arroyo administration will support the military campaign to disarm Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein of its alleged weapons of mass destruction.

"Whether we assume this moral and political support, the situation in Iraq would be the same. What would matter is perhaps the reaction of the domestic threat groups," Reyes said late Monday in an interview with ANC’s current affairs program "Talkback."

He said the latest domestic threat remains the Communist Party of the Philippines after it made public its order to New People’s Army guerrillas to launch sympathy attacks against the government.

Reyes said the government also expects other left-wing groups and organizations to "try to stir up more protests and mass actions." He said such developments are "nothing new."

Reyes and another guest, Armed Forces vice chief of staff Lt. Gen. Rodolfo Garcia also took note of how Filipino-Muslims, estimated at 3.5 million who are mostly in Mindanao, have not been "radicalized" by the ongoing hostilities in the Middle East.

"What we have seen so far in the urban centers or even in the south (is that they) have not gone into extremes in connection with the ongoing war in Iraq," Garcia said.

Reyes said the government, particularly after President Arroyo met Monday with Muslim political leaders in Mindanao, finds no reason to believe that a vast majority of the Muslim population in the Philippines "would consider this a religious conflict."

"Our Muslim political and religious leaders are generally and largely in support of the President’s position," Reyes said.

The defense chief said there have been "discernible security incidents that could be related directly to the war in Iraq."

"The homefront is quite quiet. The situation in the Philippines is manageable. There is no change. We’ve had terrorist attacks even before the war on Iraq erupted," he said.

Reyes said the only "principal impact" of the Iraq conflict would be the possible displacement of some 1.4 million Filipino workers who might be affected once the hostilities spill over in the Middle East.

At the same time, the government is monitoring the effects of the ongoing war in Iraq in the areas of economy and security of the country, Reyes said.

Reyes also disputed reports that the diplomatic relations between the Philippines and Iraq turned sour following the recent expulsion of two Iraqi diplomats.

He said the expulsions are two different circumstances.

"We have maintained diplomatic relations in Iraq. We may expel their diplomats but still maintain relations and this is what we have done. You expel the individuals but you maintain the embassies," Reyes said.

Foreign Affairs Secretary Blas Ople has recommended the immediate expulsion of first secretary Abdul Karim Shwaik on alleged spying. The expulsion of Shwaik came a month after the expulsion of Iraqi second embassy secretary Husham Hussain for alleged links with the bandit Abu Sayyaf.