According to the Department of Foreign Affairs, the four Filipino OFWs in Libya reportedly kidnapped by ISIS are in a safe location. A friend of theirs took them to a safer place when things were turning out for the worse in their place of work. They will soon be repatriated. The government is asking all other Filipino OFWs in Libya to avail of their repatriation program in order to avoid becoming a victim of this terrorist group. There is still no word about the seven Filipinos abducted from two different oil facilities. No one has claimed responsibility and no demands of any kind have been made. This actually makes their situation a lot more dangerous as there is no way to know their condition and safety. So to avoid further abductions, the DFA is asking our countrymen to come home. No matter how good their salaries are, it cannot justify remaining in a dangerous situation.
I recently watched "Captain Phillips" on HBO. This is the true story of a captain's ordeal in the hands of Somali pirates. What struck me was how helpless the massive cargo vessel was against a small skiff with four pirates. Because the pirates were armed, all the cargo vessel could do was use water hoses to try and swamp their small boats. The pirates eventually board the vessel and take the captain hostage. The point is how brazen terrorism and piracy have been in this day and age. I learned that commercial vessels are forbidden to arm themselves with weapons. Which is why the pirates have no fear in hijacking them.
With groups like ISIS seeming to grow in strength and number, and with the recent announcement by another terrorist group, Boko Haram, supporting ISIS, isn't it time we stop being helpless and fight back? Isn't it time the whole world band together against the scourge of terrorism in all its forms, and stop becoming a hostage? I'm aware that several operations against ISIS are being undertaken, but is it enough to totally eradicate these criminals? Must we wait for another unspeakable crime, another kidnapping, another beheading?
The story of "Captain Phillips" ended with the US military ending the hostage situation by taking out three of the pirates, while capturing the leader. Other vessels that are not US-flagged opted to pay ransom to get their vessels and crew, making the piracy trade lucrative indeed. I prefer the way the US handled the crisis. I think it is time to unbind the hands of those willing to take the fight to them.
The military is currently on the offensive against the BIFF. Inasmuch as nobody wants a war, no matter how "low-intensity" in nature it is, it is sometimes needed. The BIFF have made clear their intentions not to join in the peace process, even participating in the massacre of the SAF commandos in Mamasapano. It is time to put a stop to their trouble-making, once and for all.