Bombs are to terrorize, not to kill or destroy

The bad news is that there are people who are using bombs to terrorize people. The good news is that they do not intend to kill people or destroy property. What is important is that they get their message across. And in this, they seem to be failing totally.

Take the bombing that took place in the Grepalife Building of the Yuchengcos. It was right in the commercial center of Makati. Obviously, the bomber had no intention to harm anyone. Even the damage to property was minimal. As in almost, bombing cases, it took place very early in the morning when there are hardly any people in the street. Obviously it was intended to attract attention. The problem is that to this day, we don’t know the attention to what? So all we remember is the bombing. We don’t know if it was really meant to deliver a message to the Yuchengcos or to the public in general. The medium they say is the message. Bombing they say is a form of communication. Unfortunately, the message is often lost. The only saving grace is that they are seldom intended to harm or destroy. And we must not forget that there are peaceful ways to convey our desires or demands. We sincerely hope that bombing becomes a thing of the past for we honestly believe that the nation has no problem that a bomb can cure.

Recently, two police vehicles were the targets of bombers. A totally unknown group called Taong Bayan at Kawal has claimed responsibility for both bombings. More important is for them to say what they want. Then, we can discuss issues.

The thing is that bombing is a very serious offense. Undoubtedly, their purpose is to destabilize the administration. For this reason, our law-enforcing agencies are hell-bent to identify, arrest and prosecute the suspects of all bombing incidents. This is the only real way to put a stop to all these senseless threats to life and property. But it would even be better if the bombers put a stop on their activities on their own volition. As we have said again and again, no amount of bombing can solve any of our problems. Bombs cannot eliminate poverty and create jobs. We are not in a state of war with any nation or even among ourselves. Let us have peace and order with justice.

President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo has a vision to convert this country to a first rate nation. That is, of course, our ultimate goal. The thing is to convert that vision into a definite plan with a practical time table. The plan must have a sustainable development program. The first step is to achieve peace and order. The only detriment to that at the moment are the terrorists and even they do not want to kill or destroy. In short, they are kapamilya. Let there be peace and let it start with each and everyone of us.