EDITORIAL – A protracted war

Terrorist attacks that are foiled largely go unnoticed by the public. This should not discourage those on the frontlines of the war on terror. The other day the military presented to the public the suspected head and seven members of a terror group believed to be working with the Abu Sayyaf and Jemaah Islamiyah. Hilarion del Rosario Santos, the suspected leader of the Rajah Solaiman Movement, was nabbed in Zamboanga City last Tuesday together with seven of his alleged cohorts.

Military officials said Santos and his group had planned to set off a truck bomb in areas frequented by tourists in Malate, Manila during the Lenten season last March. The plot was foiled following a raid on a warehouse in Quezon City that yielded a cache of explosives, the military said. Santos has reportedly told investigators that he was given sanctuary in Maguindanao last June by rogue elements of the separatist Moro Islamic Liberation Front. He is said to have been in contact with two JI members wanted for the 2002 bombings in Bali, Indonesia, who have a combined bounty of $11 million on their heads. Santos was also reportedly in touch with Abu Sayyaf chieftain Khadaffy Janjalani, who has managed to elude pursuers since fleeing Basilan in 2002.

Catching terrorists is just one step in this war. Suspects must be prosecuted, convicted and kept behind bars. Yesterday three men, including an Indonesian JI member, were sentenced to death for the bus bombing that killed four people in Makati City last Valentine’s Day.

The terrorist threat is real, and the military deserves commendation for breaking up Santos’ network. Those waging the war on terror, however, know that new militants quickly replace those who have been neutralized. This is going to be a protracted war. The manhunt for terrorists must be sustained, even as the government implements programs to reduce the poverty and illiteracy that extremists exploit.