EDITORIAL - Intelligence

Government forces, according to reports yesterday, have identified nine of about 40 members of a Jemaah Islamiyah team believed to be responsible for the latest spate of bombings in Mindanao. Security officials seem to have an uncanny knack for counting the members of JI and their cohorts in the Abu Sayyaf and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front.

That knack should be extended to finding the perpetrators of the recent deadly bombings in Cotabato, Iligan and Sulu. As of yesterday the government of Cotabato was reportedly planning to put up a P1-million reward for information leading to the arrest of those behind the bombing outside the city’s cathedral last Sunday, which killed five people.

Senators pointed out yesterday that security agencies have a combined intelligence budget of P1.3 billion. That money should be utilized to find the perpetrators of the bombings ASAP, especially because certain quarters including the MILF are pointing to government forces themselves as the perpetrators.

Most auditing rules do not apply to intelligence funds. Public disclosure of the way the funds are used can compromise national security and negate the purpose of the allocation. But one measure of the proper utilization of intelligence funds is the state of peace and order. A deterioration of the security situation in certain areas can indicate that intelligence funds are not producing the desired results.

Reliable human intelligence does not come cheap, but P1.3 billion is a lot of public money that can be used to buy crucial information to fight terrorism. If the money is not enough, President Arroyo may want to share part of the massive intelligence fund allotted to her office to help keep the public safe.

The best gauge of the success of   intelligence   and counter-terrorism operations is the absence of terrorist attacks. But authorities counted 56 bombings in Mindanao since the start of the year, with many of the attacks killing or wounding civilians. Apart from bombings, lawless elements in Mindanao have staged numerous kidnappings, with one involving Italian Red Cross volunteer Eugenio Vagni still unresolved. Security agencies have P1.3 billion to help stop this rampage. The money must be put to good use.