EDITORIAL - The importance of vigilance

As earlier said, the few bits of good news we get are always worth sharing, and this latest good news, which will likely be buried under more sensational political, social, and even showbiz events, is the report that a bomb attack has been foiled in Jolo, Sulu.

According to Joint Task Force Sulu, the improvised explosive device was composed of a mortar cartridge, five liters of ammonium nitrate, a battery, and an improvised blasting cap. It was estimated to have a blast radius of 20 meters.

The IED was camouflaged with coconut leaves and positioned near a barangay road where it was no doubt meant to kill or maim anyone who came within range. Fortunately it was discovered by a concerned citizen who immediately alerted the authorities.

JTF Sulu suspects that the bomb was made by Abu Sayyaf Group member Mundi Sawadjaan and placed there to kill in a desperate bid to boost their own morale following their recent losses.

As mentioned before, we never know when terror will strike, and in what form, and who will be targeted. Just recently France saw two attacks involving radicals. While one terrorist was able to get to the person he felt was directly responsible for offending his faith, the other randomly targeted people in a church over an imagined offense.

Sadly, it is most likely that this news in Jolo will remain under the radar because the bomb did not go off. Had the bomb gone off and killed several people, it’s likely that it would have gotten more attention.

However, this doesn’t take away the fact that that act of a single concerned citizen saved several lives. Mortar rounds are designed to kill, and someone rigged that round with other substances to maximize casualties, so we are sure it was not placed there just to cause panic or worry but to kill.

And this is why we say again that vigilance is one of our strongest weapons against terror. That was just the act of one person, a single concerned, vigilant citizen. Imagine what the vigilance of many concerned citizens can do against terror and its agents.

It takes just one act of hatred by a misguided zealot to kill people and ruin the lives of others, but it can also take just one act by a concerned, vigilant citizen to make sure that that harmful, destructive act doesn’t push through.