How the ‘terror alert’ is being ignored in bustling New York City

NEW YORK, N.Y. – As America moves into Memorial Day weekend, and the annual "remembrance" of that nation’s heroic dead – a juicey date on which terrorists might want to make a statement by launching a terrible sneak attack – the party goes on in New York City. The revels, here in the Big Apple are undimmed by last Tuesday’s warning by the Department of Homeland Security that the "intelligence community" believes attacks have been planned "against targets in the United States".

Neither Homeland Security Secretary Tom Ridge nor New York Governor George E. Pataki was more specific. They couldn't pinpoint a specific target but raised the alert to "Orange" status. As our ACELA train pulled into New York's chaotic Pennsylvania Station (which adjoins Madison Square Garden on 34th and Eight Avenue), each level was still thronged with scores of thousands of commuters, milling about, their only concern being how to hump their luggage, or among the "moneyed" few to locate a Redcap or porter – a vanishing breed – to tote it.

Trains came and went. The shopping malls were crowded. Pedestrians by the hundreds baked on the bustling sidewalks outside under the suddenly hot and blazing sun.

Across the avenue was the imposing, but faded façade of the US Post Office, over whose Grecian columns was engraved the famous slogan of the American postman. Inspired by the horsemen of the Pony Express and the mailmen who trudged into wilderness to deliver the mail. Once upon a time every schoolboy in America had to memorize those lines, in order to instill in their hearts the message that America was built by perseverance, hard work, endurance and dedication to duty.

I wish our postal services, indeed our entire government and people, could live by such a slogan – though, in truth, even the school kids of America, cued to hip-hop, computer games, and chat on the website, no longer remember it either. Yet, I gazed upwards in the midst of all that traffic hell, hellish heat, pollution, and the anxiety of train arrivals to grab one of those dingy "yellow" cabs, and reread the words: Neither snow, nor rain, nor heat or gloom of night, stay these couriers from the completion of their appointed rounds."

In fiesta-prone Philippines, where our government declares a nonworking "holiday" at the drop of a hat, even just to "bridge" a weekend, these are thoughts to ponder.

A nation is not built, or defended, by going out on vacation, calling off work – or going on strike.

* * *

To return to the "terror alert" just raised in the US, when I checked into my 20th-story room in the Sheraton, NY Governor Pataki was on the air. He said that New York City, since 9/11, has constantly been on "alert" anyway. He stated he had called up more men from the National Guard to protect communities during the "Orange" status – the second highest alert. In passing, Pataki reminded New Yorkers to honor their National Guardsmen on Memorial Day. He pointed out that 3,000 Guardsmen, who had been involved in the fighting in Iraq, were just coming home.

He reminded listeners that their neighbors, National Guardsmen, had been called up for duty – earlier to fight in Afghanistan, then to participate in the build-up in Kuwait and the attack on Saddam Hussein.

"Those young men and women," Pataki asserted, "are just like you and me – they’re citizen soldiers, called from their jobs, to serve in the military, and they’ll be returning soon, hopefully, to civilian life." He added: "If you meet one of them, pause to shake his hand, and thank them for protecting all of us, in our homes, in our offices, and in our workplace and neighborhoods."

The dispatch of National Guardsmen, trained reservists recruited on the instant from their civilian life, perhaps stems from the ideal of the "Minuteman", the former colonial townsman and farmer who grabbed his hunting rifle to combat the British Redcoats and their Hessian mercenaries to win the Revolution. The strength of America, I believe, lies in its ability to call these citizen-soldiers to the colors – and the fact that they respond.

Why don’t we have something like that? Our professional Army is moving inexorably into senility. The average age of our soldiers is 40 and above.

How can we expect our troops to keep on, day after day, week after week, month after month, chasing the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) jihadis, the murderous Abu Sayyaf, the New People’s Army of the Communist bandit gang, and other rebels, all over the map? The older one gets, the more one tends to huff and puff, and lose breath. The soldier who’s heaving with exhaustion loses concentration – and that’s when he gets the ambusher’s or guerrilla’s bullet.

The latest grim report that 28 of our soldiers had been slain in clashes with the MILF in Maguindanao and Lanao del Norte (see the banner headline) is proof that our Army and PNP, and other services remain unrelentingly embattled.

The rebels, who manage to recruit 13- to 15-year old boys by offering them loot and adventure, not just Islamic fanaticism or ideology – possess the advantages of not just treachery and attacking from behind, but of youth. This is intended not as an insult to, or denigration of, the courage and ability of our fighting men. But it’s the awful truth: A kid can outrun an old geezer like me anytime, anywhere. In fact: Run circles around me. The same must be true with regard to our middle-aged troops. They’re brave, but they’re no spring chickens.

Why did we virtually "abolish" the ROTC?

Our congressmen and senators had better get reserved officers training, student military training, and citizens’ army training, back on track immediately. Otherwise, our armed forces will be labelled a branch of the Geriatic Center or the Old Folks’ Home.

* * *

This is the bottom line. In the "first tranche" of military assistance being programmed in the wake of President Macapagal-Arroyo’s triumphant visit to Washington, DC, and her reiteration of friendship and comradeship with her phone pal, US President George W. Bush, the Pentagon will give or "lend" our military up to 20 helicopter gunships of the deadliest variety. This is supposed to be "confidential", but everything in this society leaks like a sieve anyway, so I’d better reveal it first.

Before the usual Leftist Rat Pack, the sharp-tongued critics, the belly-achers, and the dakdak Club start tearing GMA’s achievements during her state visit to pieces (as they’ve already begun doing in their mockingly annoying manner), let me attempt to put things in perspective – while... uh, smugly reminding our Readers that neither she, nor our taxpayers, paid for my trip. I came to New York and New Jersey on "STAR" business and for private reasons, including that of visiting my daughter and her kids (also her husband, sorry, Bob), and went to Washington DC only for the arrival fooh-foorah and the White House "state dinner." I had to buy a new tuxedo, just before I emplaned (a shock to my Ilocano pocket) because my old one was tattered. The things I have to do for God, Country La Gloria – and myself, of course.

GMA and Mr. Bush hit it off swimmingly from the start. I must say that Bush went further than the extra mile in determined underscoring to the entire world to the entire world the partnership between the Philippines and the United States in combating terror. The fact is that Bush even exaggerated GMA’s contribution to the "coalition of the willing" (and he wasn’t born yesterday, so, in his cornpone manner, he was trying to make a point: Hey, we’re pardners in this great enterprise, and we’ll stand shoulder-to-shoulder, banging away at our enemies in the Not-so-Okay Corral, and giving them blow for blow).

Bush praised our President fulsomely, giving her and our nation "great face" (if you want the Asian spin on it) among the skeptical countries of the world, which had reduced us to being "the sick man of Asia". Indeed, that irritating label would have stuck to us, had not the horrible SARS epidemic come along and made China, Hong Kong, Taiwan, and Singapore, look even sicker than we are.

We must consider the Star Spangled reception given La Gloria in the White House against the backdrop of the SARS-checkered conditions in our neighborhood – not to mention Toronto, Canada – from where, incidentally, we contracted our first Filipino SARS fatality.

Gloria did us proud. She was unusually articulate and eloquent. She demonstrated spunk and chutzpah. In her television interviews here in the US, she wowed ’em.

Bush played not just Leading Man but comedy "straight man" in this online and TV drama. In his folksy manner, he told the world that GMA and the Filipino people were brave and strong, and America was proud to have us in their corner. He spoke of our nation with respect, and our dimunitive leader with affection. How good can it get? Sure, the America-bashers will heap scorn on the entire enterprise, scoff at GMA as not just a "Little Brown," but a Very Little Brown – I have to say, our little Napoleon in gorgeous baro at saya put us back on the map and on the radar screens of the US and the planet, as not a mere pawn but a player.

When she gets home, she must put her money and true action where her mouth is. We must send MORE humanitarian missioners, doctors, nurses, aid workers, military policemen, and peacekeeping soldiers to Iraq. We must stand up for principle and the ideal of extending the boundaries of freedom, instead of whining, pettily and humiliatingly, that "we cannot afford it". We cannot help our poor by demonstrating poverty of spirit, lack of generosity towards other nations, spineless absence of backbone, and unending cynicism. Just as our founding fathers did, and the Bataaners of a past generation, we have to rekindle both patriotism and hardihood. The limp, weepy, crab mentality of this generation of ours ought to respond to the "honor" extended to our President in the capital of the USA, acquiring a new resolve: that we will stop shirking our responsibilities and go to the succor of our friends and allies in this world which is teeming with enemies and muddled by deceit.

* * *

In all the years I’ve covered Presidents, kings, premiers, prime ministers, party chairmen, dictators, despots, and doddering idiots, I never witnessed such rapport between leaders than I did the past couple of days. Bush was warm and respectful towards GMA. He earnestly praised the Filipino people. In the White House press conference, he declared we were fighting in a common cause, and he would give us what it takes to help the fight. He declared the Philippines would, henceforth, be regarded on the same level as a non-NATO ally, putting us virtually at par, in military cooperation and assistance, with the USA’s traditional allies in the North Atlantic Treaty Organization.

This is a quantum jump from the years since we kicked the Americans out of their bases in the Philippines in 1991, and we fell off the radar screens.

The US, as has already been pointed out, cannot "save" the Philippines. That is our job. The US cannot, for that matter, save us from ourselves. But every little bit helps. And the help GMA has been pledged during this visit – is far from a little bit.

* * *

I’ve lost track of the President and her party since the White House dinner. As I said last Tuesday, I was out of DC the following morning.

However, there were a couple of dinners given for me by New York friends – one of them a glittering impromptu, one tendered by our glamorous friend, Yusay, known as the Cosmetics Queen of China, whose stately home stands on the banks of the East River, next to that of architect I.M. Pei (who did the glass pyramid in front of the Louvre in Paris, and the China Bank skyscraper in Hong Kong), and United Nations Secretary General Kofi Annan.

Yusay, in her usual elegant manner, had gathered a bunch of New York’s beautiful people, including billionaire philantrophists, a senior aide of former President Bill Clinton and his mother, deans, prominent doctors, and Filipinas who had made a name in New York and the Eastern Seaboard. They all wanted to know who had attended the black-tie affair in the White House.

I could only repeat that Mr. Bush had given GMA what they call in hoopland the "full court press".

The Cabinet top brass were all present: Vice President Dick Cheney, Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld, US Attorney General John Ashcroft, State Secretary Colin Powell, NSA Secretary Condoleezza Rice, John Snow (Secretary of the Treasury), Karen Brooks, director for Asian Affairs, National Security Council; Andrew H. Card Jr., chief of staff to the President; Spencer Abraham, US Secretary of Energy (who, in front of me, signed the bill); Gen. Richard B. Myers, Chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff (the Big Cheese in the military); Secretary of Labor Elaine Chao, etc.

Among the famous politicians there were Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas); Rep. Tom DeLay (R-Tex); Rep. James A. Leach (R-Iowa); Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-California); Rep. Bob Filner (D-California); Sen. Bill Frist (R-Tennessee); Senator Richard D. Lugar (R-Indiana), the guy who told Marcos to piss off, remember?; Sen. Ted Stevens (R-Alaska).

There were, too, Asst. State Secretary Jim Kelly, Ambassador Frank Ricciardone Jr. (grinning from ear to ear); and numerous others – heavy-hitters in business, politics, and the media; Filipino-American mayors and councilmen from all over. Their wives came, as well. It was a gala affair, followed by music, hoopla, and punctuated with fine speeches and toasts.

It was a night to remember. That’s all I can say to describe it.