A terrorist Jihadist in Cebu?

ORLANDO, Florida — One of the things I look forward in coming to the United States is riding on Roller Coasters and that is exactly what I did when we went to Universal Studios Islands of Adventure. This is a separate Theme Park side-by-side with Universal, except it has different kinds of rides or attractions not just for kids, but also for adults. The most famous attraction is The Hulk, which is a specialized kind of Roller Coaster that blast the riders just like F-Hornet fighter planes are blasted off a carrier's deck.

So I took it alone as my wife and daughter were scared to ride with me. After a 45-minute queue, I boarded the green coaster and off we were away twisting and turning in G-forces only jet fighter pilots' experience. After a 45-second ride, the thrilling ride was over. Then the guy beside me asked me to take his picture which I did and when I searched my pockets for my iPhone, it was gone! I have no doubt that those violent twists and turns yanked the phone from my pocket.

We went to the lost and found office and told them about my unfortunate incident. But the person there told me that we had to wait until the Theme Park closes and he gave me a number to call. So as we left for home, we passed by again in the lost and found section and saw five cellphones and one iPhone. It was not mine. You can see here that Americans are an honest bunch because they return lost items, including cellphones. Back in the Philippines, crooks even kill their innocent victims just for a cellphone. The next day we went back to Universal and my phone was never found.

How times have changed indeed thanks to technology! Just 20-years ago, we could live without a cellphone and still travel. Today, my iPhone is my appointments secretary, my note pad, and my sounds featuring all the music I have in my house. It is my main camera, wherein the photos I take, I can immediately upload on my Facebook page, and yes it is my cellphone. But while my Globe roaming connection was not working, however with Viber, I could still text and do calls if I have Wi-Fi connection.

With my roaming connection off, it was truly a cellphone vacation for me. But now that the iPhone is lost, it is going to be an extended vacation until I get a replacement in Cebu. Hearing that the iPhone 6 might come out by September or earlier, then I will just to wait for that phone to come out.

Meantime, it is our last day in Orlando and we ate in Orlando's best Chinese Restaurant and what do you know... I bumped into a fellow Cebuano who introduced himself as Jimmy Paran who had dinner with his family in the next table. He then asked me if I have moved to Orlando. I asked him how come he knows me. He told me that when he was still in Cebu he regularly watched our Talkshow Straight from the Sky. It is a small world indeed! So I introduced him to our hosts Bem and Michelle Dioso and I am sure they would meet with other Cebuanos someday.

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While here in the US, I do get a lot of news from back home. But what was alarming for me was a Rappler report that I got just minutes before I wrote this column about the Philippine and Australian authorities confirming the Melbourne-born Musa Cerantonio who is considered one of the two top most influential Jihadist "inspirators" for the fighters in Syria and Iraq and this fellow is in the Philippines!

Two weeks ago, the big breaking news, which is still a very hot issue today, is that Jihadist forces have captured the Iraqi cities of Tikrit and Mosul and many areas in Iraq. Worse of all, these Jihadist forces were able to get US$ 450 million cash from the Iraqi Central Bank, so just imagine what these radical Islamist would do to fund terrorism throughout the rest of the world. What aggravates the situation is that US Pres. Barrack Obama has refused to help the Iraqi government of Al-Malaki.

There is now an on-going great debate by American commentators and columnists asking where did American policy fail in the Middle East, especially in Iraq? Today the majority of Americans are "Iraq weary" and most of Americans do not want to send soldiers to that beleaguered country. But then if Iraq falls to Jihadists, there is no telling what they would do to fund terrorist groups to attack the US mainland.

The blame game has even pointed fingers to American journalists many of whom did not question then US Pres. George Bush when US Forces attacked Iraq and got rid of Saddam Hussein. Of course, America then was terrorized by the dastardly attack on the World Trade Center in 9/11.

Meanwhile the 29-year old Musa Cerantonio was reportedly seen in Manila, Cebu and Zamboanga City. What was he doing back home? Was he planning some kind of terrorist act that would have worldwide repercussions? Remember Ramzi Youssef, the original planner of the bombing of the World Trade Center (WTC) was captured in Manila. Let us be on the alert!

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