Crime still cripples Manila
The Philippines has made great strides since it discarded the ruinous dictator Ferdinand Marcos.
No longer the economic basket-case of ASEAN and Southeast Asia, the nation has boosted its growth enormously, as well as its self-esteem.
The country still battles one major problem. Organized crime in the Philippines, particularly kidnappings, is a major hurdle facing the Manila government.
In recent years, kidnapping has given the Philippines a black eye. Potential investors from many countries have said frankly it has decided them against making a move into the Philippines economy.
It is ironic that most of the growing threat from kidnapping is a result of government success in combating communist and Muslim insurgencies.
Diehards from these two failed movements have moved into kidnapping in two ways. A few gangs continue to claim they kidnap for political reasons.
Particularly in the southern Philippines, a new generation of Muslim separatists has attempted to turn kidnapping into a political act.
Groups such as the foreign-trained Abu Sayyaf (Father of the Executioner) claim ransoms for use in their efforts to separate the southern Philippines from the rest of the nation.
There is no doubt the Philippines is both richer and safer today than in the dying days of Marcos regime.
Increased opportunity has led most guerrillas back to the national fold, and no insurgency threatens government control of the country.
But both the image and the reality of the organized and brutal kidnapping gangs remain.
President Ramos is correct to deal with the kidnapping threat as a civilian problem. He has resisted calls for the military to step in at every kidnapping.
There is, as he has said, "no better formula than a combined civilian force, supported by the police" as the most effective method of fighting crime.
Ending the spate of kidnappings will likely be difficult, but use of the military is a last-gasp show of desperation. The president is wise to avoid such a tempting step.
-- The Bangkok Post