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Tuesday, March 02, 2004
Editorial: Transparency needed
Abu Sayyaf spokesman Abu Solaiman has said his group was responsible for setting ablaze Superferry 14 near Corregidor last week, a claim that the military immediately denied.
It is possible what Solaiman said was true because, after all, planting bombs inside a ship is not impossible given the kind of security in place in all ports in the country.
Or the military could be correct: That the Abu Sayyaf spokesman lied. Indeed, it is far easier to claim instigating a major incident than actually implementing it.
Consider, too, that the terrorist group has been on the run the past few years and its leadership is desperately needing one big hit—or at least a claim to it—to prop up the sagging morale of its members and supporters and to get worldwide attention again.
But one can also pin ill motive on the military’s immediate downplaying of Solaiman’s claim because another successful Abu Sayyaf offensive would place the government and the country’s law enfor-cers in a bad light.
Meaning, the Abu Sayyaf and the military have reasons for saying what they said. But the truth is not dependent on what the terrorist group, the military and the government say.
It can be gleaned from hard evidence and testimonies that still have to be gathered from the sunken ship, the crew, passengers and other people concerned.
The problem, however, is that Solaiman’s claim is complicating the process of arriving at that truth. Now, probers must ensure transparency of the process to address fears they will cover up something to make the military and the government look good.
Almost just another day
With the repetitive holding of the transport strike, it looks like all those affected by the protest action have adjusted well. They now make it look like just one of those days.
Meaning, the drivers now automatically go on a wait-and-see mode (they won’t ply the routes if the majority won’t) while militants proceed to the so-called choke points.
Cebu City Hall now automatically just sets up monitoring groups and field Kaohsiung buses to ferry stranded passengers while policemen are on alert for anarchists.
Passengers now automatically find ways to adjust (school officials put off classes based on their monitoring; workers are ferried by company vehicles, etc.).
With this, maybe it is time for transport groups to look for more creative ways of pushing their demands.
(March 2, 2004 issue)
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