EDITORIAL - Unsafe in the Philippines

Gracia Burnham is safe back in Kansas and defense officials are insisting that Abu Sayyaf terrorists, contrary to initial reports, have not taken new hostages. The French government nevertheless issued a travel advisory this week, warning its nationals to be careful while in the Philippines. And it’s likely that other governments will issue similar advisories.

The warning of the French this time is not just over a scruffy bunch of kidnappers in Mindanao. In addition to warning French nationals about traveling to General Santos City, which was rocked by bombings several weeks ago, the advisory noted that tourists were also held for ransom last April by kidnappers in Banaue and Sagada. The French were also advised against visiting areas where communist rebels operate, including Samar, Iloilo and Panay island.

What was most striking in the advisory, however, was a warning about accepting drinks from strangers, and the need to be on alert while in Metro Manila. This came amid reports that a French cattle breeder had been befriended by a well-dressed man in Makati, then sedated apparently with Ativan before being robbed.

Criminals using Ativan have been operating for years in many parts of Metro Manila. The drug has been used in several rape cases, but the favorite victims are foreigners who end up being robbed. In recent months those using the drug for criminal purposes, lumped together as the Ativan gang, have been operating in Makati’s financial district, victimizing the many expatriates and tourists in the area. Last week a South Korean diplomat was victimized in Makati and was later found dead in Marikina.

Yesterday the Philippine National Police offered a P1.4-million reward for the capture of seven Ativan gang members, whose pictures were presented to the press. If the gang members have been identified, it shouldn’t be long before they are captured and prosecuted. Malacañang should bear down on the PNP to stop these attacks on the country’s guests. All those multimillion-peso TV ads and sales blitzes for the Philippines abroad will be useless as long as foreigners feel unsafe in this country.