Lessons from Mumbai

What happened in Mumbai could easily happen in the Philippines. Being a close ally of the United States, we are an obvious target of terrorists. And not to forget — the Abu Sayyaf and other terrorist groups have close links with the al-Qaeda. Homegrown terrorists get “skills training” overseas while Mindanao has also become a training ground for international terrorists. A few days ago, a raid in Taguig at the house of suspected Abu Sayyaf members yielded a hand grenade, a .38 caliber pistol, explosive devices and notes on bomb making. 

Just recently, the Australian government issued an advisory against travel to Mindanao, citing credible information of possible attacks in several places including those frequented by tourists. Australian nationals were among the casualties in the attack in Mumbai which has claimed 200 lives and forced India’s home minister to resign. Echoes of the 9-11 attack in the US are being seen with the assault on India’s financial and tourist district, with the terrorists obviously intending to put India’s economy down on its knees. A group calling itself the Deccan Mujahideen has claimed responsibility for the attacks, although state officials are speculating that Pakistani terrorists may have been involved since the operation appeared too sophisticated and well-coordinated to be homegrown.

But what is really disturbing is the ease by which the terrorists entered the city and carried out the attacks, firing bullets through a crowded train station, storming the high-end Taj and Oberoi hotels, bombing a hospital, a tourist restaurant and attacking a Jewish center. It’s obvious Mumbai has not learned its lessons. The security was lax especially in areas that are considered “soft targets” like the commuter trains which were bombed by terrorists in 2006.

Early accounts indicate that terrorists entered the city through the Gateway of India, a famed archway located in the waterfront in the southern part of Mumbai. Observers said the Gateway was poorly lit with very little police presence in the area. Apparently, security at the Taj and Oberoi hotels were also lax. A previous guest at the Taj said security personnel were only stationed at the front and none at a side door, and people could get inside through the swimming pool located at the back.

On the other hand, the Oberoi’s own shopping arcade may have provided the attackers easy access inside the hotel. Dressed in khakis and T-shirts, it could have been easy for the attackers, who have been described as “fair-skinned,” to blend in with the crowd which was made up of a lot of tourists. That the attacks happened at the start of the peak tourist season made things even worse, with a lot of bookings already cancelled and shares for India’s airlines and hotels reporting biggest drops in more than 15 years.

Like Mumbai, terrorists have been using the Philippines’ vast shorelines as backdoor entry points to the country. The US International Narcotics Control and Strategy Report (INCSR) cites our porous borders, calling the Philippines a virtual smugglers’ paradise. We have 7,100 islands and more than 36,000 kilometers of coastlines, and many of these areas are being used as transshipment points not only for arms and drug smuggling but even for human trafficking mainly because we do not have enough means to monitor the people coming in and going out through these backdoors. According to the INCSR, “AFP and law enforcement marine interdiction efforts are hamstrung by deficits in equipment, training, and intelligence sharing.”

But let’s not go far. Security in many establishments in Metro Manila like shopping malls, restaurants and even five-star hotels is practically non-existent. These so-called security guards just poke through the bags of people going inside without really looking at the contents, all the while chatting with fellow guards or looking somewhere else with such an expression of disinterest and boredom on their faces. And I can never figure out why they bother to pass this device over your body and belongings if they’re not going to check out anyway when it makes a beeping sound. Security checks should be done right or else, don’t bother at all.

Business establishments that are frequently populated have to come up with innovative ideas and equipment like high-tech scanners to enhance security measures and make the process more efficient. It’s also annoying how traffic particularly in Makati gets even worse every time there is a function in hotels like Shangri-La, Manila Pen or the Mandarin because of the long lines of cars that are subjected to token security checks. Using a mirror attached to a long rod, hotel security personnel conduct a cursory check for hidden explosive devices under the vehicle without really looking at what they’re doing. If terrorists happen to be watching or are in fact the passengers, they’d be laughing their heads off because these security checks are such a big joke. Five-star hotels and other high-end establishments should make these security checks easy but effective and avoid traffic gridlocks.

But more than anything, guards and other security personnel should go through strict and stringent security trainings to make them more professional and vigilant. A lot of these people are so parochial in their mindset, allowing females to go in almost uninterrupted because of the mistaken belief that women are harmless when in fact, a lot of terrorist cells and even bank robbery gangs are using women more frequently in their operations. Unfortunately, we have a tendency to react only after a terrible incident had happened and people are already dead. That’s the story of the Filipino — we always react; we never foresee. Over the years, we’ve already been victims of terrorist attacks like the Rizal Day bombings and the Valentine’s Day bus explosions but we continue to be laid back and put our guard down. One day there could be a major attack in Metro Manila like what happened in Mumbai, which could cause the death of somebody close to us.

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