EDITORIAL - Fear in Basilan

Militant groups may cry all they want that Yankees should go home, but according to reports, many residents of Basilan would prefer to have American soldiers stay longer in their province. The Americans – a little over a hundred Marines, Seabees and military engineers – have been packing up for the past few days in preparation for the end of the Balikatan war games on Wednesday. They are leaving behind a rehabilitated airstrip, a substantial portion of the island’s circumferential road and several other development projects.

They are also leaving behind residents who for the past three months have experienced what has become a rarity on the island for many years: peace. Abu Sayyaf chieftain Khadaffi Janjalani is still at large, and the group’s Sulu-based faction remains intact. But throughout the war games, there was no major attack by the Abu Sayyaf in Basilan. Its members started sneaking out of the island – to Sulu or, like Abu Sabaya with the group’s three remaining hostages – to the Zamboanga peninsula.

No wonder then that local officials, religious leaders and residents are calling for a longer American presence in Basilan. Archbishop Martin Jumuad and Lamitan parish priest Cirilo Nacorda, a former Abu Sayyaf hostage, have expressed fears that with the departure of the Americans, lawlessness would return to their island. Nacorda in particular has not changed his belief that the Abu Sayyaf thrived in the province because the group was protected by military officers.

The residents’ fears are understandable, but Filipinos cannot depend forever on another government for protection and development. Balikatan showed that it is possible to maintain peace and order in Basilan, and consequently to implement development projects. Poverty was the biggest recruiter for the Abu Sayyaf. If poverty is not addressed, the Abu Sayyaf will regain its strength, or else a new group will rise to sow terror on the island. It is now up to the government to sustain the gains made during Balikatan, and to make peace in Basilan a lasting one.