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Monday, May 03, 2004
Arroyo cancels Mindanao campaign due to threats
MANILA -- President Arroyo cancelled her four-day campaign trip scheduled for this week from the port of Batangas to Davao City where she would have used a roll on-roll off ferry, after alleged bomb threats from extremists, her spokesman said Sunday.
The decision to cancel the campaign tour for the May 10 polls was reached after Arroyo called an "impromptu security meeting" at the presidential palace at 2 p.m., which was attended by members of the Anti-Terrorism Task Force led by Defense Sec. Eduardo Ermita.
Arroyo's spokesman Ignacio Bunye said Arroyo called for the meeting after an alleged bomb threat in Makati City early Sunday morning and arrest of two suspected terrorists Saturday night near the Commission on Elections (Comelec) office in Manila.
Bunye said Arroyo had to cancel some her appointments Sunday afternoon to preside over the meeting attended by Ermita, Armed Forces Chief Narciso Abaya, PNP Chief Hermogenes Ebdane Jr., Metro Manila Police Chief Ricardo de Leon, Interior Sec. Jose Lina Jr. and National Security Adviser Norberto Gonzales.
Asked if the incidents were behind the cancellation of the ro-ro trip, Arroyo's campaign spokesman, Michael Defensor, said: "I do not want to speculate but you know all these developments, I feel, are connected."
He said he was not at a liberty to divulge further details, but said an unnamed Muslim extremist group was planning to carry out bombing attacks.
"It is a security concern relayed to us and given that situation, we are abiding by security guidelines," Defensor told reporters.
Asked how serious the threat was, he said: "Serious enough for us to change the last leg of the campaign." Defensor said the threat received could also be politically motivated, but he declined to elaborate.
'Too risky'
Col. Delfin Bangit, commander of the Presidential Security Group (PSG), admitted that the terrorist threat was their major concern in the trip.
"We presented recommendations na kailangan ng (saying there is a need for) huge preparation before we push through with the caravan. Times like this is too risky to expose her (Arroyo) in public," he added.
Ermita said in a statement issued after the meeting that the recent incidents should not affect preparations for the May 10 elections nor "bring forth the slightest doubt that the government is capable of protecting our people and ensuring the right environment for the exercise of basic rights."
He also said the military, police and private security groups have been able to pre-empt another attempt to sow terror and they should be commended for their actions.
Representatives of private security agencies attended the one-and-a-half-hour meeting to go over security measures in private establishments like commercial centers, business areas and shopping malls, Bunye said.
"We urge the people to be very vigilant as our police and security agencies tighten their watch. The reason why we have set up a comprehensive anti-terror strategy is precisely to lump all our efforts into a common approach to deal with the threat of terrorism. This must be done in the predictive, preventive and performance phases," Ermita said.
He also urged all candidates to temper the heat of excessive partisan politics that may render the situation vulnerable to exploitation by terrorist elements.
"The May 10 elections are a turning point in our nation's history. We call on our people to display sobriety and observe the rule of law," Ermita added.
Minimal effect
Defensor said while the cancellation of the campaign trip would have "minimal" effect on the standing of Arroyo in Mindanao, the leaders and supporters of the administration in Kidapawan, Dumaguete, Davao, Bukidnon, Caticlan and other areas that the President was supposed to visit would understand if Arroyo cancels her trip. He said both the campaign and administration advance parties were already in Davao.
Arroyo is seeking a second term in the election, and latest surveys have showed her slightly ahead of her chief opposition rival, movie star Fernando Poe.
He also said they have been getting different threats, from death to bombings and attacks on the venues and transportation to be used, but the most serious involves Moro extremists.
In March, government claimed to have broken a terrorist cell of the Abu Sayyaf group plotting major attacks on Manila.
Defensor, at the same time, denied that Arroyo's lead in different pre-election surveys and the supposed support from the Iglesia Ni Cristo prompted the decision to cancel the ro-ro.
Defensor said they would plot anew their campaign but limit the sorties to Luzon.
Instead of the May 7 meeting de avance in Manila, they might hold three such events from May 6 to 8, added Defensor.
He also said they really wanted the caravan in Mindanao to push through to strengthen the administration's hold in the island. (JMR/With AFP)
(May 3, 2004 issue)
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New terror plot foiled; 2 'bombers' arrested