A terrorist leadership?

The bombing of the Davao International Airport tells us one thing: despite the efforts of the government to bring, at least, a semblance of peace and order in the country, still, we cannot deny the fact we are all under the iron grip of terrorists. The incident has claimed 19 lives and has injured scores of other people, including women and children. Reportedly, another bomb exploded an hour later at the plaza in Tagum City, killing one person and injuring about three others. Shortly after, the Abu Sayyaf claimed they were responsible for the bombing of the airport. But the Defense Department is looking at another culprit: the rebel group Moro Islamic Liberation Front or MILF. Whoever or whatever group was responsible, the main issue is that terrorism does not choose its victims. It is no less than a random display of sadism, brutality and violence to which no one – absolutely no one – is exempted. Despite all these, PGMA it seems is still not sure about what to do. The Wall Street Journal said, "President Arroyo’s waffling and infidelity to her US ally reflect more than poor leadership; they constitute a dereliction of duty to her own people."

The other sad thing though is that after all the Abu Sayyaf and other terrorist groups and kidnap-for-ransom gangs have done to bring the country to its very knees, it seems there are people who continue to turn a blind eye. The country has been banging heads with rebels and terrorists and still the best some people in government could do is to hem and haw about the issue. These terrorist rascals, who erroneously claim to be Islamic, have already ransacked homes and raped scores of women and children, beheaded a Catholic priest, plundered and destroyed the small town of Ipil, kidnapped local and international tourists in Sipadan, murdered in cold blood the American missionary Martin Burnham, brought unbelievable terror in the lives of countless kidnapped youngsters – children who could have very well been your sons and daughters – and cost the country billions of dollars in potential tourism revenue and investments.

Many investors have already closed shop and pulled out their resources from the Philippines because of the Abu Sayyaf. Countless Filipinos, as a result, suddenly found themselves without jobs. What used to be the financial powerhouse industry – the overseas Filipino worker – is neck deep in problems today because of the global war against terrorism. Stringent measures in airports and procurement of passports and visas have prevented some potential OFWs to work abroad. We had problems with the FATF because the Philippines was listed down as a terrorist haven because of the ASG. It’s a joke that the US ambassador is being tagged as a destabilizer. The Abu Sayyaf is the real destabilizer! Because of their criminal activities, billions of pesos in potential OFW remittances would have been delayed or lost completely if sanctions against the country were pushed through. Likewise, the small- and medium-scale import and export industries would have been gravely hit. These recent bombing incidents will again goad the international community to release negative travel advisories against the Philippines. Dick Gordon is undoubtedly back to square one.

Now, there’s a certain Hamsiraji Sali, a leader of the ASG, who wants to put up a new government for the Philippines, one that is headed by an Islamic leader. I have nothing against anyone who is unquestionably fit to be president of this country. But if Hamsiraji’s idea of a Philippine president is a suicide bomber or an assassin, then there is something definitely wrong with this picture. Isn’t Islam another term for peace? In truth and in essence, terrorism and Islam do not go together. What these terrorist rascals are doing is to deceive the public, especially the real believers in Islam, and get these people to side with terrorism’s insane cause. What terrorists really want is not peace, but a piece of the Philippines – Mindanao, to be exact – and to lord it over the people there.

Even more confusing are some of the comments people make about the issue on terrorism and the US military exercises in the country. In particular, a Congresswoman recently said, in essence, on national television, "Kawawa naman ang mga Abu Sayyaf. Why are we allowing foreign troops to engage them in a battle in our shores?" Am I hearing this right? Kawawa naman ang Abu Sayyaf? People have been murdered, women and children raped and violated, others seized against their will and brutally beaten and beheaded by these terrorists. Unbelievable!

Frankly, I do not see anything wrong with the US helping the Philippines in our own war against terrorism. Whether Americans will fight with us or not, at the end of the day, if they feel we are losing control over Mindanao to the al’ Queda network, they will declare it a terrorist haven and go in anyway. Which is why our firm in Washington has been moving heaven and earth to help our armed forces procure ample financial aid from the US Congress. In fact, the Los Angeles Times said the US really wants to help the Philippines fight terrorism. Somehow, George W. Bush has developed a soft spot for this country. Our soldiers, as brave as they are dedicated to the cause of peace, need all the help that is available. In fact, The Philippine STAR put up a "Soldiers For Peace" fund years ago to help the many battle-scarred soldiers. It has been a long and tedious battle for most of them; some have already sacrificed their lives. We should not deprive our armed forces of any available support from anyone willing to help. This is the least we could do to show our appreciation to what these young, brave boys have been doing for the country.

The real battle against terror has become a very personal one because the victims have been people that are dear to us. The only time we can bring down the wall of terrorism is when we work with our allies, like the United States, to tear it down.

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Here’s another cock n’ bull story from Victor Agustin. He wrote that we are consultants for the US Defense Department. Yeah, sure, US Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld would call and consult us if it is a good PR move to go to war with Iraq. Give me a break!

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