Terrorists in our midst

National Security Adviser Norberto Gonzales recently warned that 10 Indonesian-based Jemaah Islamiyah suicide bombers have been deployed to the Philippines and two of them are now in Metro Manila to launch an attack. This was after a bomb blat ripped through a passenger ferry in Basilan, leaving one dead and 30 injured. There is no doubt that terrorism is not only a serious local problem, but a world problem. When one reads about the bombings that took place in Madrid and London, one can only be thankful that so far Metro Manila has been spared.

Armed Forces Chief Lt. Gen. Generoso Senga has already ordered the deployment of more military agents to various places and has called the general public to remain vigilant. It is for this reason that we are asking well-meaning groups to refrain from holding public demonstrations at this time. Our fear is that the terrorist groups will just use their demonstrations to explode a bomb that could kill a maximum amount of people. The terrorist problem is real. The pro and anti-impeachment case should be decided in Congress. It is not a question that can be settled in the streets. Two days ago, 28 protesters and a 7-year old boy were hurt when police broke-up a pro-impeachment rally at the main gate of the Batasan Complex in Quezon City. Leave the impeachment problem to Congress. What the public should heed is the call to be vigilant of terrorists. They don’t care who dies. It is obvious that if they could have their way, their main target would be the commercial centers of Metro Manila. Most public places now have security guards that check on the cars coming in and the individuals entering a compound or a building. The public should cooperate with all security measures being taken to detect terrorists.

We mentioned that so far the Philippines has been spared on major terrorist attacks. We must add that to date, we have also been lucky that we have not had any bad typhoon or earthquake. In the United States, Hurricane Katrina has killed hundreds and the flood waters continue to rise. In Baghdad, 640 died when a bridge collapsed and the people stampeded. So far we have had no natural calamities. But the terrorist threat is real. What is worse is that it is senseless. We are now in our eighties and we don’t recall of terrorism being a national or world problem. Times are really changing and in some ways for the worst.

The world is now a global village and we always assumed that it would bring more peace every where. Instead, we have global terrorism, meaning we have persons who come from abroad with the purpose of killing as many innocent people as they can and their only purpose is to sow fear and terror. They don’t even say what they want or acknowledge their act. If this is not insanity, then we don’t know what sane means.

Again, we ask our readers to take all the necessary measures they can take to avoid being possible victims of terrorists. Sad to say, it is part of living in our times.