According to reports, two detention cells are being prepared for his arrival. One is the prison facility in Sta. Rosa, Laguna that was specially constructed for President Estrada, the other is in Fort Magsaysay, the headquarters of the Army’s 4th Infantry Division. But the important thing is the arrest of the prisoner and for some reason or other, we seem to be vacillating on Malaysia’s offer to turn Misuari over as soon as possible. An explanation is in order.
At the same time, there are headline reports that top government officials brokered the PhP17 million ransom for the release of businessman Reghis Romero II from the Abu Sayyaf. The chief witness here is Sergio Osmeña III.
In the United States, Pres. Macapagal Arroyo was acclaimed when she spoke of poverty as the root cause of terrorism. The thing is that we cannot wage a war against poverty unless we first restore peace and order in the areas where the terrorists are active. That is what is happening in Afghanistan at the moment. The war against the Talibans is causing a lot of destruction and innocent civilians are victims of the war. US troops are doing the utmost to lessen their agony by dropping food supplies. There is a direct connection between the anti-terrorist war in Afghanistan and Mindanao. Osama bin Laden is the mastermind in both. It is common knowledge that he had been going in and out of Mindanao in the past. In fact, the American military intelligence lists Mindanao as one of the possible hiding places of bin Laden if and when he flees Afghanistan.
We can strike the greatest blow against terrorism in Mindanao simply by accepting Malaysia’s offer to deport Misuari to the Philippines on a special plane. It will be great if we can lay our hands on him before the Americans capture or kill bin Laden. We can have him in jail before this weekend. All the administration has to do is to accept the Malaysia offer.
It is true that there are other terrorist groups in Mindanao. The most notorious is the Abu Sayyaf, the bandit group involved in a series of kidnappings. Now. Dr. Parouk Hussin has been elected and installed as Governor of the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao, replacing Nur Misuari. The new governor was the former leader of the separatist Moro National Liberation Front. In his first statement to the press, he said: "The biggest challenge is peace and order because we cannot achieve development unless we address the deterioration of peace and order." That is the first step to all progress. And the challenge is to build, not destroy.