GMA warns Southeast Asia vs more terror attacks

Brace for impact and do not drop your guard.

Southeast Asia must steel itself for the likelihood of more terrorist attacks following the deadly hotel bombing in the Indonesian capital of Jakarta, President Arroyo said yesterday.

The Jakarta blast "is a clear message that the war against terrorism in the region must be pursued without letup through more intensive multilateral cooperation," she told finance ministers of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) meeting in Manila.

"The region must now learn to live with these threats from day to day," Mrs. Arroyo said. "Vigilance must become a way of life for the region, even as we maintain normalcy in the courts of work and business."

She said the Philippine National Police (PNP) and the Armed Forces of the Philippines have "standing alert orders aimed at thwarting any similar attacks in our country."

The suicide bombing at the JW Marriott Hotel Tuesday claimed 14 lives and left 152 others injured, the Red Cross said.

"We condemn the latest attack in Indonesia and sympathize with the families of the victims," the President said addressing the ASEAN finance ministers gathered at the Rigodon Ballroom of the Manila Peninsula Hotel in Makati City.

It came just two days before a court was due to hand down the first verdict in the trials of alleged Jemaah Islamiyah (JI) militants accused of last year’s Bali bombing that killed 202 people, mostly foreign tourists.

Speaking over government-owned Radyo ng Bayan, Presidential Spokesman Ignacio Bunye expressed relief that no Filipino was reported as a casualty in the car bomb attack in Jakarta.

Bunye added that the President has already sent a letter to express her condolences to Indonesian President Megawati Sukarnoputri.

"The Philippines stands side by side with Indonesia in this hour of mourning, in this moment of indignation against this dastardly act," he said.

"Terrorism can strike anywhere," he said. "It knows no boundaries. It does not recognize any nationalities nor recognize any religions... if (they) see an opportunity, the terrorists will strike. That is why our authorities should continue with their strengthening of defense (for) the potential targets," Bunye said.

Vital to the effectivity of the authorities’ target-hardening operations, Bunye said "is the cooperation of our people, who are (our) eyes and ears, (to provide) any information they would give to our authorities that would help prevent or stop terrorist attacks."

The PNP and AFP are in the process of "hardening" likely terrorist targets, such as embassies, security and utility installations and crowded places like shopping malls and places of worship.

The Philippines was among the first countries to join the United States-led global war on terrorism following the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks on America that have been blamed on Osama bin Laden’s al-Qaeda terror network.

JI and the Abu Sayyaf, both tagged as terrorist organizations, have been linked to al-Qaeda. JI is reportedly seeking to establish an Islamic state within Southeast Asia, while the Abu Sayyaf is a notorious kidnap-for-ransom group whose members have reportedly trained in bomb-making with al-Qaeda specialists. — Marichu Villanueva and AFP