Editorial

Vigilance – weapon against terrorism

Key urban centers, including Cotabato City, in Mindanao have been placed on heightened security alert following bombings that result to a number of deaths and injuries. Last month, Isulan in Sultan Kudarat province, Midsayap in North Cotabato, and General Santos City were rocked by blasts in succession.

Davao City  also raised its heightened alert status to prevent any spill-over of terrorism or  bomb-threats occurring in its adjacent regions where terrorist groups have formed their lairs and cells. General Santos City is sustaining its own alert status to level-4. 

Despite martial law in Mindanao, it appears that terror groups are unfazed or unintimidated by such condition as they continue to roam or penetrate vulnerable communities with their deadly gadgets of destruction and death.

Their targets are not merely men in uniform but the hapless civilians causing fear being in crowded places. Evading public places is one precaution but this limits the mobility of people who feel unsafe in the open field.

Transport and the commuting public have to bear the long queus at checkpoints as one security measure plus the imposition of curfew hours and the “no ID, not entry” policy of some cities, including that in Cotabato. What we can do on these circumstances is to cooperate with authorities and bear the inconvenience but “for our convenience anyway in the long run” as these precautionary measures are meant for our security at the utmost.

We do not know where and when the perpetrators will set off these bombs. Blasts come at a time when we are off-guard despite the presence or visibilities of soldiers, policemen, and barangay tanods. All that we can do is to be alert on suspicious movements of the perpetrators or enemies of the state. Let us always surmise that these terrorists are “heartless” and “vicious” whose intent is to create havoc, destruction, and death for their selfish propaganda.

Dangerous and fearful as these bombs are, we, the public, should not succumb to their intimidation… we have also to fight back as practicable we can do. How? Let us heed the call for vigilance. To be vigilant is our weapon to sustain our security. If we remain adamant under threat circumstances, then we only allow  evilness to thrive. Watching each other’s back is our weapon of defense and offense against bomb threats. Like one title of a movie, vigilance is our

“perfect weapon” so to speak.

In condemning bomb attacks, we have to do battle against the evil forces by pointing on the suspects when we see them or alerting authorities when we sense the placement of the deadly gadgets. Our weapon and our shield is always VIGILANCE.

Instead of offering our prayers and vigil for the dead who have become victims of the blasts as they could be our love ones, relatives, or friends, let us help “prevent” the bomb blasts by being VIGILANT. So this we can do if it means holding on to our dear lives.