Terrorist warnings

Terrorist warnings

All too predictably, following the suicide bombings that killed 22 people in the Indonesian tourist resort island of Bali Saturday, warnings are now being raised about terrorist attacks in the Philippines.

A recent police intelligence report is even more specific about the threats. It says that the Abu Sayyaf is sending women on bombing missions to Metro Manila and four cities in Mindanao.

Instead of merely issuing warnings, our security officials ought to focus on doing the many things that would attack the problem of terrorism at its roots.

For instance, they should sit down with their counterparts from Indonesia and Malaysia to find out how they can stop the exchange of terrorism know-how, resources and personnel.

Congress should also pass an anti-terrorism law, minus those highly repressive and ambiguous provisions that could be invoked to persecute the political adversaries of the administration.

But first, they should learn to use intelligence information intelligently and not to mistake talk for action. -- Philippine Daily Inquirer, Manila