No to Gitmo prisoners in RP

Newspapers in the Philippines, quoting sources who prefer to hide in the comfort of anonymity, are saying that one of the possible talking points between President Arroyo and President Obama when she visits the US later this month would be about the Gitmo prisoners.

One of the first things that Obama did on assuming the presidency was to order the closure of the prison facility for terrorist suspects at Guantanamo Bay, in fulfillment of a campaign promise.

And that is what is wrong with campaign promises, especially those made just for impact but without any regard for the consequences. Now the United States is stumped with what to do with the prisoners, considering their high value in its war against terror.

Now, whether the reports are true or not, it should already be made clear this early that the Filipino people would never countenance being made prison keepers for the Americans, especially if in so doing it would place the country and its people under great risk.

The Philippines is the only predominantly Catholic country in Asia. In its own neighborhood of Southeast Asia, it is surrounded by several Muslim countries, including the most populous which is Indonesia.

Indonesia is the home of the al-Qaeda-linked Jemaah Islamiyah, the home-grown terrorist group responsible for a number of bombings not only in Indonesia but in other parts of the region as well.

In fact, elements from the Jemaah Islamiyah have touched base in Mindanao, where Moro separatists and bandits make ready recruits for a cause rooted in violence. Right now, several bombings in Mindanao have been attributed to these groups.

To allow the transfer of the Gitmo prisoners to the Philippines is to court disaster. The presence of such prisoners in the Philippines will become the single most effective rallying point for the terrorists to step up their violent activities in the country.

Again we do not know if the reports are accurate, considering that they come from unnamed sources, who could simply be among the enemies of Arroyo out to discredit and scuttle her impending trip to the United States.

But then again, the reports are also not totally baseless. President Arroyo herself has become so unpopular that it is not impossible for her to try anything to ingratiate herself with the American president.

For whether we like it or not, the friendship of the American president always counts a lot in Philippine politics. Gaining or losing the friendship of the American president can prop up or weaken a Philippine president, especially one who is not himself or herself that strong.

One can still recall the huge disappointment and embarassment Arroyo must have felt when Obama refused to take her congratulatory call when he got elected American president in November.

If Arroyo has any self-esteem left, and would want to make one rare and lasting impact now that she is about to bow out from office, her rejection of an Obama offer regarding Gitmo prisoners, if indeed the reports are true and he makes it, ought to redeem her quite immensely.

Instead of provoking widespread anger and opposition to the plan, if Obama pops the question at all, Arroyo should take her meeting with the American president as an opportunity of a lifetime.

In her nine years as president, no opportunity as great as this can present itself whereby she can bow out with a bang. Saying no to the American president, over a matter that can only have dire consequences for her countrymen, can make many change feelings about her.