EDITORIAL - Don’t take chances

Britain, Australia and the United States must know something we don’t. Yesterday the governments of these countries alerted their respective citizens about the security risks of going to Cebu during the summit of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, which opens this Monday. Separate advisories stated that terrorist groups "could be in the final stages of planning an attack" to disrupt the annual gathering, which the Philippines is hosting as ASEAN chair.

The UK, which has one of the best intelligence services in the world, was first to issue the advisory yesterday afternoon. Similar warnings – more or less similarly worded – from Australia and the US followed in the evening. The Philippine National Police however said it has not received reports about such a terror threat.

With travel alerts falling like dominoes in our way, the Philippines must not take chances while hosting a gathering of international leaders. Security is a major concern in this country, even when there is no ongoing international event. There are groups that would like nothing better than to embarrass the Arroyo administration, even if it means embarrassing the nation during a gathering of leaders from 10 Southeast Asian countries and dialogue partners in the Pacific Rim.

Apart from communist rebels, security officials must worry about Islamist militants, particularly Jemaah Islamiyah, which has a proven track record of targeting crowded areas for mass murder from Bali to Mindanao to Metro Manila. The JI threat can never be taken lightly.

There are also potential threats from groups out simply to embarrass the administration. During the July 2003 visit in Manila of Australian Prime Minister John Howard, Indonesian JI bomb maker Fathur Rohman al-Ghozi and two Abu Sayyaf members mysteriously managed to walk out of their detention center at PNP headquarters at Camp Crame. The move was widely suspected to be part of a plot to embarrass Hermogenes Ebdane Jr., who was newly installed as PNP chief.

This time there is an even bigger event that can be sabotaged by various groups. Authorities must not take chances; for several days next week, the eyes of the world will be on the Philippines, particularly its queen city of the south, which has lately undergone an Imeldific makeover for the summit.