Terror alert

Gen. Dionisio Santiago, Armed Forces chief of staff, said yesterday that the press took out of context his warning on possible terrorist retaliatory attacks on US interests and certain foreign embassies in the Philippines in case war breaks out in Iraq.

Santiago shouldn’t be too jittery; similar warnings have been issued in Washington. And anyway, even before the terror attacks in the US on Sept. 11, 2001, American interests in the Philippines have always been prime targets of rebels and terrorists.

Even as Santiago issued his clarification, the military announced it was deploying five battalions in Metro Manila and other parts of the country to thwart terrorism. So is there a threat?

Meanwhile, the commander-in-chief appears to be firming up her official support for the US-led war on Iraq. President Arroyo, after watching US Secretary of State Colin Powell’s presentation to the United Nations, said she saw "evidence that challenges our role as a responsible member of the world community… We must stand with the civilized world against the uncivilized conduct of war."

Her spokesman, Ignacio Bunye, added that the Philippines could not afford to be a fence-sitter in this conflict.

Let’s hope the President won’t be complaining again today that her statement has been misread or taken out of context. If she wants to give unequivocal support to the United States in this conflict, she should not be afraid to make her stand known. If she thinks the country can’t afford to give that kind of support, she should present her case clearly to the Americans. Issuing ambiguous statements can only be seen as weakness. If the woman touted as Asia’s Iron Lady wants a strong republic, she should provide strong leadership.

* * *

Last week the President was already criticized for her spur-of-the-moment decision to hie off to Kuwait, ostensibly to reassure Filipinos there about assistance in case of war. Until evening no one was sure about the exact date of her departure or when she was supposed to fly back to Manila. This prompted one of our editors to mumble, "Babae kasi." Rough translation: "Women!"

That comment cost the editor two pizzas for the newsroom – a fine imposed by offended women – but I’m sure many people shared the editor’s sentiment. President Arroyo should not reinforce male chauvinists’ stereotype of women as indecisive.

Abubakar Ba’asyir (or Bashir), believed to be the spiritual leader of the Southeast Asian Islamist group Jemaah Islamiyah, has already said a mouthful about women supposedly being unqualified to assume top leadership positions. Ba’asyir was criticizing Indonesian President Megawati Sukarnoputri. Muslims have told me he was talking about Islamic societies so our predominantly Christian nation shouldn’t make a fuss about the statement. But women leaders should prove people like Ba’asyir wrong.

* * *

Even without a warning issued by military officials, I’m sure Americans and their staunch allies such as the British and Israelis have enough sense to take security precautions in the Philippines.

Our coastline is so extensive and our patrol capabilities so inadequate it’s relatively easy for a determined terrorist to slip into our shores. Arabs, South Asians and other foreigners who don’t look like typical Filipinos can be kept under close watch. But what about terrorists from Southeast Asia, base of Jemaah Islamiyah? JI has been blamed for the bombing in Bali, Indonesia – a country, by the way, that has tried to remain neutral in the US war on terror.

A ranking government official told me that people from Indonesia and Malaysia can easily enter the Philippines through the southern backdoor. They arrive by the boatload in Tawi-Tawi and Sulu. Government inspectors need heavily armed Marine escorts to board these boats, which have Filipino crew. Public officials who come down hard on these illegal aliens can end up dead if they don’t get adequate security.

The government official admitted that there aren’t enough people to inspect all the boats coming in, especially those that dock in private ports.

* * *

This is also one reason smuggling is so rampant. Our coastline is simply too extensive, Customs inspectors are too few and often corrupt, and those sniffing dogs aren’t all that reliable. The talk is that the original highly trained dogs imported from the United States were sold to breeders; what we have now are canines bred and trained here. As I’ve written, some of those dogs are merely good for sniffing out hamburger.

But granted we have dogs that are properly trained. How can they check all the contents of those container vans that arrive daily, packed with misdeclared items? Local clothing manufacturers are complaining that their industry is being killed by the flood of dirt-cheap imported items from China.

These days Chinese porcelain items are flooding the market. Many are of pretty good quality so you may wonder why they are being sold at giveaway prices. The reason, I’ve been told by reliable sources in the Tsinoy community, is that the consignees are in fact virtually giving the stuff away, just to get rid of the goods after they have served their main purpose: as containers of shabu. Methamphetamine hydrochloride is stashed not only in urns and exquisite hand-made chests but also in brassieres, bags and ready-to-wear. Selling the goods after the shabu has been disposed of is just a bonus for the smugglers.

You can smuggle anything into this country: drugs, guns, rice, vegetables. Or anyone: illegal aliens who become vendors in Divisoria, European prostitutes, Islamist terrorists. Potential terrorist targets should be properly warned.

* * *

GUN RACKET: And speaking of guns, that one-year amnesty on gun registration will simply give rise to another lucrative racket. A figure will be declared that is much higher than the number of guns actually registered under the amnesty program. Gun owners will be availing themselves of the amnesty long after the program lapses, using those slots created while the amnesty is in effect. Of course a gun owner needs to pay extra to be entered into that spurious amnesty list. And of course that extra fee won’t go to public coffers.