GMA calls for anti-terrorism drills in schools, offices

Along with earthquake and fire drills, President Arroyo called on schools nationwide to conduct regular anti-terrorism preparedness drills.

The President stressed before school officials yesterday the need to prepare themselves and their students against the possibility of attacks by terrorists.

"Teachers, officials, students, we all know that terrorism is a worldwide phenomenon and the Bali (Indonesia) bombing was the latest so we must be always ready," Mrs. Arroyo told faculty members and students of Fort Bonifacio High School in Makati City yesterday.

"If we have fire drills, earthquake drills, we should also have terrorism drills," she stressed.

Mrs. Arroyo witnessed a simulation exercise at Fort Bonifacio High School where students played out the roles of the good and the bad guys.

The President saw for herself how well the students –complete with fake blood and animal entrails –reacted to injuries during the counter-terrorism drill.

With Kenny Loggins’ "Danger Zone" playing in the background, two "terrorists" entered the school canteen at the ground floor and left a "bomb" in a knapsack shortly before "recess."

After a few seconds, a loud explosion shook the building before smoke began emanating from the second floor.

The school principal immediately issued instructions over the public address system, ordering the guards and personnel to call for police assistance while urging students not to panic and to leave their classrooms in an orderly manner.

Cries for help and moans of the injured were heard emanating from the canteen as ambulances, firemen, members of the Makati City police, Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) rescue personnel, bomb squad teams with sniffing dogs and the Scene of Crime Operations team arrived.

Five students "died on the spot" in the drill, while nine others were "severely wounded." Six other students were "slightly injured." For realism, the "casualties" were smeared with fake blood with some even clutching entrails to simulate the injuries sustained in a bomb explosion.

"I hope what we witnessed here will be replicated in other schools," the President later told the audience.

Mrs. Arroyo said school officials should come up with their own contingency plans and take the initiative to conduct similar drills.

Witnessing the event, Asia Pacific Economic Conference Counter-Terrorism Task Force chief retired general Benjamin Defensor said the drill emphasized the possibility that schools could be attacked by terrorists.

The former Armed Forces chief said now is the right time to conduct terrorism preparedness drills to instill vigilance among the youth and the public.

"In other countries, it is the help of the public that is instrumental in destroying terrorism," Defensor said. "It’s about time we had this kind of activity."

"Our response agencies have mostly focused on disaster and hostage situations. Any terrorist attack is not only disastrous, but can even turn tragic when people do not know how to respond," he said.

Defensor said the vigilance of the public helped authorities in preventing terror attacks in other countries.

He said information from civilians would lead "to a kind of chain of events" in assisting authorities in tracking down terrorists.

The exercise was held as Mrs. Arroyo and Defensor batted for the passage of the anti-terror bill pending in Congress.

Defensor joined the President in stressing an anti-terror law would serve as a stronger deterrent to terrorist attacks.

Defensor admitted, though, that an anti-terror law by itself is not enough to combat the global menace.

Defensor said Mrs. Arroyo appointed him to head the operations of Philippine Anti-Terrorism Task Force (ATTF), which is chaired by Executive Secretary Eduardo Ermita.

He said the ATTF would be coordinating with the Department of Education (DepEd) and Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) to ask schools and malls to undertake similar anti-terror drills on a monthly basis or come up with contingency plans for such attacks or disasters.

Defensor said schools and malls are considered by terrorists as attractive targets because a large number of people are usually gathered at any given time.

With relatively loose security setup in schools and shopping malls, such drills can help "harden" what security forces usually refer to as "soft targets."

According to Defensor, raw intelligence reports indicate that suspected terrorists often consider schools and malls as possible targets.

"We are prepared only as far as our resources are concerned," he said.

"The best way to fight a terrorist is to prevent him from attacking. In target hardening you prepare the possible targets… We have to give the message to them that this is not the place for you, you are not welcome here," Defensor said.

He said other countries have already adopted the anti-terrorism mindset.

Defensor cited Australia, where giant posters reading "If you see it, report it" are seen everywhere, and even in Middle Eastern countries where signs saying "Islam has nothing to do with terrorism, Islam is the way of peace, Islam abhors terrorism" are displayed.