Sunday, August 26, 2007 Cabaero: Spillover war By Nini B. Cabaero Beyond 30
CAN Cebu remain safe amid the escalating hostilities in parts of Mindanao?
This was on the mind of Cebu authorities last week when a man on a stopover in Cebu from Zamboanga City while on his way to Manila was caught with some explosives inside a sack. If not for the ongoing fighting and the warning of the violence spreading to other parts of the country, the incident involving Noy Ampuan, also known as Jino Mosa and Jino Andal, the man with the sack, would have been regarded as a simple crime case. But authorities did not want to take chances.
Early last week, warnings were raised on the possibility of a spillover war or for the fighting to spill over to other parts of the country. The warnings came about after five suspected bombers were arrested in Region 12 and possible terrorist attacks were thwarted in Surala, South Cotabato and Pagadian City.
In Metro Manila, a “low” terror alert has been raised. The alert level is the lowest in the government’s four-step warning system against terrorist attacks. Although Armed Forces Chief of Staff Hermogenes Esperon Jr. had said there was no threat of a spillover of the fighting in Basilan to Metro Manila, law enforcers cannot relax their guard. Police have been deployed for pre-emptive operations and the intelligence network has been activated, he added.
The Makati City Government, for example, is eyeing to install 44 closed-circuit television cameras all over the city to keep a closer watch of happenings. There is no better deterrent to criminal acts than vigilance but local governments are using the occasion to tap technology in the terror fight.
What started as a pursuit for the kidnappers of a foreign priest is now a battle in the two southern provinces of Mindanao between soldiers and the Abu Sayyaf that is believed to have terrorist links abroad. The threat of a spillover in hostilities from Sulu and Basilan creates the impression of a national alarm. Until the fighting ends, the possibility of retaliation in other parts would remain.
A spillover war could become the bigger problem for government as it would strain further human and financial resources because operations would no longer be limited to an area or to the ground fighting mode.
In the case of Cebu, its geographical characteristic as “a small and, hopefully, manageable island” and its nature as a government center next to Metro Manila could all work to its favor. Cebu might be able to remain safe as it had thwarted past attempts at terror attacks here. Then, again, there is the vigilance required of its law enforcers and its citizenry for the peace to continue.
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Those who missed the Sun.Star Economic Forum 2007 last Thursday could get the speeches and presentations from the Sun.Star website at www.sunstar.com.ph. Click on the text link or the icon of the Economic Forum and download the reports to your computer. Theme for this year’s forum was “Cebu Tourism: Moving Forward.”
