THE first time the name “Isis” was uttered during the Resorts World Manila incident early Friday was by casino customers and employees when they were escaping the gunman.
Nobody declared it was an Isis attack but fleeing customers and employees heard of a masked gunman firing shots, and quickly assumed it was the work of the terrorist group known as Isis or the Islamic State (IS).
Director Oscar Albayalde, National Capital Region Police Office chief, said in a press conference people were running from the scene saying, “Isis, Isis.” No one told them it was Isis, and police officials insisted the incident looked more like a robbery than a terror attack.
(The second time the terror tag was publicly raised in relation to the Resorts World Manila incident was when United States President Donald Trump said at the opening of his press conference on climate change that the incident was a terror attack. He didn’t say “Isis” but he prematurely described the episode as terrorism. “I would like to begin by addressing the terrorist attack in Manila. We’re closely monitoring the situation..., but it’s really very sad as to what’s going on throughout the world with terror,” Trump said.)
A man described as Caucasian-looking and English-speaking entered the casino area on the second floor and fired shots from an Armalite. He set gambling tables on fire, causing thick smoke to suffocate a total of 36 people. The armed man, police said, then committed suicide by setting himself on fire.
Hours after it happened, police raised the robbery angle and not Isis. An online report later came out saying the group monitoring terror organizations said, “An Islamic State Filipino operative who provides daily updates on the ongoing clashes in Marawi stated that the group is responsible for the attack at Resorts World Manila in Pasay, Philippines.”
Only a police investigation would determine if it was terrorism or not. But the reaction of the Resorts World attack survivors showed how terrorism or Isis is in the Filipino consciousness.
Any emergency event that cannot be right away explained is likely tagged as terrorism-related. Any peace and order disruption gets to be linked to Isis. As a knee-jerk reaction, people think of Isis. If this continues, then the terror group could claim it has succeeded in forcing itself into the Filipino psyche that a totally unrelated event could be thought of as its doing.
Police officials have called on the people to be more discerning of what they see or post on social media so as not to fuel panic. Do not create or spread fake news or unverified information that tend to spread fear and false beliefs.
It is human nature to fear terrorist attacks. We see enough of them in Syria, Afghanistan, United States and other countries targeted by Isis. Emotions are rising and there is an increasing frequency of terrorism in our consciousness. People get nervous and hysterical when faced with an immediate threat, even just the specter of danger.
What can be done? Communication with the public helps bring the temperature down and investigation results can clear up wrong assumptions.