Proactive approach to terrorism
For the government of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., it must take stock of the problems caused by such groups as the Dawla Islamiya and the BIFF.
Daily TribuneFor the government of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., it must take stock of the problems caused by such groups as the Dawla Islamiya and the BIFF.
At least one passenger and several others were seriously hurt when an improvised explosive device was detonated inside a bus as it was traveling in Tacurong City in Sultan Kudarat province noontime Sunday. Investigators were looking at the use of a smartphone as a triggering device.
To describe the attack as cowardly would be an understatement as the placement of the bomb on public transportation showed that those behind it were targeting hapless civilians, a "to whom it may concern" sort of attack.
The chief of the Tacurong City police, P/Lt. Col. Joan Maganto, told reporters that a unit of the Yellow Bus Company from Cotabato City was on its way to the city terminal when the bomb was detonated by the miscreants.
The fatality at press time, one of 12 passengers hurt from the blast, succumbed to sharpnel wounds. Police and military authorities withheld the names of the victims pending the notification of their relatives.
Both the Dawla Islamiya and its ally the Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters are suspected of involvement in the attack as groups that style themselves along the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria.
The commander of the 6ID, Major Gen. Roy Galido, said the terrorists took advantage of their being busy with relief operations related to devastations caused in the region by severe tropical storm "Paeng." Galido vowed to do their best to "identify, along with the police, the people responsible for this atrocity, a clear act of terror."
The Dawla and the BIFF are known to bomb businesses that refuse to pay them protection money or those that fail to pay their monthly "quotas."
For P/Brig. Gen. Jamili Macaraeg, the police regional office 12 which he heads, is digging deep into intelligence report and information that could unmask those behind the attack.
The same bus company, it should be pointed out, was also the target of a bombing attack three months ago when an IED exploded in one of its units in Koronadal City, South Cotabato.
Even if this is a simple shakedown, the admission that the attackers took advantage of soldiers and policemen being preoccupied with relief operations should not sit well with the central government in Manila.
There's no excuse to be lax in safeguarding people, especially coming off the numerous press releases by the Philippine National Police that it would send into the field 85 percent of its personnel during the Yuletide season.
However, when it comes to attacks like this one in Tacurong, increasing police visibility alone would not be enough as heightened intelligence gathering is a must to get wind of plots before they are carried out by the misfits of Philippine society.
For the government of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., it must take stock of the problems not only caused by communist rebels but also by such groups as the Dawla Islamiya and the BIFF.
As National Security Adviser and National Task Force to End Local Armed Conflict vice-chairpersons Clarita Carlos delivers a talk in Clark City today before local government units, she must update the people on what is being done to eliminate terror groups.
Carlos has been very visible during the campaign period and following her appointment at NSA. Still, she had been uncharacteristically quiet the past few months, even if those doing intel and security work like her are not expected to be media hounds.