Like a Pandora’s box that opened intriguing revelations, the remains of the fire that gutted a sixth floor apartment in the Josefa Building on President Quirino Avenue some eight years ago could have been the trigger that actually pushed the Philippines into the global war on terrorism, way ahead of the events leading to the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks on the World Trade Center.

What police found at 3 a.m. on Jan. 7, 1995 in the one-bedroom flat that was later learned to be a cell occupied by Islamic militants out to kill Pope John Paul II during his visit here were not the remains of a typical kitchen fire, according to the book The Age of Sacred Terror by Daniel Benjamin and Steven Simon.

There, in the kitchen, the police found a large cauldron by the sink and an assortment of bottles and jugs while in the bedroom was a table covered with an assortment of bibles, crucifixes, vestments, pictures of the Holy Father and Casio timers, including wristwatches with wires attached to them and a soldering iron.

The whole place, police learned, was a typical bomb factory, sitting a few hundred yards away from where the Pope would stay at the Papal Nuncio’s Residence along Taft Avenue. They then swept up documents, papers and a laptop computer, summoned the experts to look at the makeshift lab, then called Washington.

A piece of paper with a series of numbers, when finally put together by American counter-terrorism officials, revealed a sequence of airline flights while encrypted files on the laptop showed a broad outline of a terrorist plot called Bojinka, calling for the blowing up of as many as 12 Boeing 747 jumbo jets out of the skies over the Pacific.

For Benjamin and Simon who sifted through a series of terrorist attacks and are now serving as directors for White House’s counter-terrorism program, the plan was staggering and the shock was magnified by the revelation that the laptop belonged to Ramzi Yousef who is now serving a life term in a US prison for masterminding the 1993 bombing of the World Trade Center in New York which killed six people and wounded 1,000.

Yousef is a nephew of Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, suspected mastermind of the September 11 attacks now in US custody who is believed to be the architect of another plot, still part of Bojinka, designed to crash a plane packed with explosives into the headquarters of the US Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) in Virginia.

It was not immediately known, however, whether Mohammed, a Kuwaiti who spent time in Manila in 1994-95, was involved in the plot to send a suicide bomber to assassinate the Pope. The plot was foiled by police when the room they were occupying at the Josefa apartments caught fire.

American officials hailed the arrest of Mohammed in Rawalpindi, near Pakistan’s capital of Islamabad, last Saturday as the biggest catch so far in the global war on terror. Washington branded Mohammed as one of Osama Bin Laden’s most senior lieutenants at Al Qaeda and mastermind of the 9/11 attacks that killed around 3,000 people.

The Philippines, led by President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, was among the first members of the world community to respond positively to the US call for a global war on terrorism when Washington linked the Abu Sayyaf, one of four radical groups seeking an Islamic state in the South, to Bin Laden’s Al Qaeda.

Balikatan

We are not married to the idea of holding the Balikatan 03-1 in Sulu. The search is on for other possible venues for Balikatan 03-1 that would add value to the joint training effort and be of greater benefit to our people.

AMLA

We heard that there was a breakthrough in the meeting between our legislators and the FATF representatives. That is very welcome. The economy of our country is a stake and so is the welfare of our OFWs and the families they help support here.

Al Qaeda

Our intelligence community has long confirmed the presence of extremist cells in the country and their links to Al Qaeda. We are not discounting the possibility that some of Khalid’s cohorts are seeking refuge here. We must be aware of the transnational nature of terrorism and the need for allied and global action to fight this threat.

Peace in Mindanao

Government moves to provide a healthy business climate for big-ticket domestic and foreign industrial ventures are bearing fruit.

This was stressed in a letter to President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo from American International Group (AIG) American General president and chief executive officer Rodney O. Martin, Jr. who cited the President and several Cabinet members for their "support and cooperation" in facilitating the location of the firm’s joint venture project in Muntinlupa City.

In his letter, Martin said the President’s signing of the proclamation declaring the Madrigal Business Park in Barangay Ayala-Alabang, Muntinlupa City as an Information Technology Zone "further solidified our belief in your government’s support."

He also extended his appreciation, on behalf of his colleagues, "for your consideration of our application and continued support."

The AIG Business Processing Services Inc., a joint venture of AIG American General and Philamlife, has located in the business park.

Martin also lauded Trade and Industry Secretary Manuel A. Roxas II, Executive Secretary Alberto Romulo and the staff of the Department of Trade and Industry, the Board of Investments and the Philippine Economic Zone Authority for their help in the selection of the venture’s site.

"We are deeply grateful for this action and the benefits it provides," Martin said.

He said the company "is operational and processes are already being transitioned to the Philippines."

The government has declared the former conflict areas in Pikit the Buliok Complex in North Cotabato as "zones of peace" where massive development efforts will be undertaken so that the thousands of displaced civilians could return and start rebuilding their lives.

In a joint press conference in Malacanang, Presidential Adviser for Mindanao Jesus Dureza said there is now a convergence of the efforts of all government agencies to attend to the total rehabilitation of the areas that have been the scene of recent fighting between government troops and elements of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF).

Dureza said that things have already stabilized in the two areas and all efforts are now concentrated on how the evacuees can be brought back to their former places of abode.

The Buliok Complex, part of the huge Liguasan Marsh, has been the sanctuary of the notorious Pentagon kidnap gang and other lawless elements in Central Mindanao. It used to be an armed base of the MILF where its elusive chairman, Hashim Salamat, was reported to be hiding.

Secretary Corazon Juliano-Soliman reported that the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) has already spent a total of P15.2 million for relief and rehabilitation efforts in the affected areas, in coordination with local government units (LGUs) and other donors.

Soliman said that of the total amount spent, P12 million came from the DSWD, P1.35 million from LGUs and P1.7 million from non-government organizations (NGOs) and other donors.

According to Soliman, the DSWD has already served a total of 40,163 displaced families, or 214,072 individuals. The DSWD used to operate a total of 101 evacuation centers but 12 of them have already been closed, leaving a total of 89 centers still in operations.

Soliman said that the DSWD is now closely coordinating with other government agencies, the LGUs, the military, and the evacuees themselves so that efforts in bringing back the "zones of peace" into normalcy can be speeded up.

She said the management of the evacuation centers is being done by the evacuees themselves where they are organized into committees. These committees handle the food distribution and sanitation within the centers, Soliman added.

The Department of Health has provided the medical services for the evacuees while the 54^th Engineering Brigade of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) constructed 60 compartments complete with toilet bowls and drums for water, Soliman said.

National Anti-Poverty Commission (NAPC) Lead Convenor Teresita Deles said that the government is now determined not just to work for relief but for the overall rehabilitation of those affected by the fighting.

"It is important that this time around in these zones of peace we move into the long-term development of the areas so that hopefully, we will now be able to finally address the roots of the conflict," Deles said.

According to Deles, what the evacuees immediately need right now are houses and means of livelihood to start a new life.

She said that it is now a season for plowing and planting in the Liguasan Marsh and the government would assist the evacuees in their agricultural activities.

Deles said that the National Disaster Coordinating Council (NDCC) has already allocated P3.5 million for the "food or cash for work" scheme. This would mean that the evacuees would already be paid everyday as they work in their farms so that they do not have to wait for the harvests, she added.

Earlier, the President had released the initial amount of P5 million as the national government’s share in the implementation of the development plan for Pikit and Buliok Complex as presented by North Cotabato Governor Emmanuel Pinol.

President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo today ordered the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) to coordinate with the Philippine National Police (PNP) and the local government units (LGUs) to ensure power lines and facilities in Mindanao are secured.

In a joint press briefing in Malacaņang, Defense Secretary Angelo Reyes that the President’s order was aimed at preventing the recurrence of blackouts in Mindanao.

The presidential order was issued in the wake of the toppling of transmission towers in some areas in Mindanao by elements of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF).

"We would like to assure everybody that the armed forces, the police, and local officials will work closely towards this objective," Reyes said.

In the same briefing, Energy Secretary Vicente Perez said the National Transmission Corp. (Transco), of which he is the vice chairman, is determined to ensure that their transmission lines would be protected in cooperation with the AFP and the PNP and the local officials.

Energy Secretary Vicente Perez today announced that Eastern Petroleum Corporation has signed a supply agreement with Pasang Masda, a national association of jeepney drivers, to put up filling stations at terminals in Mandaluyong and in Pantranco, Quezon City.

The Pantranco filling station will be opened on March 11.

In a press briefing in Malacanang, Perez said jeepney drivers could avail themselves of a 60-centavo per liter discount against prevailing market prices in the filling stations.

Perez said this was the first concrete free market initiative between an oil player and the transport group that aimed to help mitigate world oil price increases brought by tensions in the Middle East.

Perez said the DOE had identified five major jeepney routes in Metro Manila and the major gasoline stations located along the routes, hoping that the station operators could also give discounts to jeepney drivers.

He said they are encouraging agreements on volume discounts between oil players and transport groups in Makati, Malabon, Novaliches and other areas.

"It is a power of choice as to where (the drivers) buy their gasoline from," he said, but adding that jeepney drivers could use their big number to buy collectively and get volume discounts.

"This is our way of mitigating oil price increases," he said, pointing out that the oil price increase was inevitable.

"We cannot stop it, we can only try to mitigate it through initiatives such as this," he said.

Besides continuing dialogues with the transport sector, Perez said President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo has instructed the DOE to come up with other measures to avert public transport rate increases and avoid its rippling effect on labor wages and the prices of prime goods.

Other proposed oil price mitigation initiatives include the implementation of efficient traffic control, a rollback on toll fees at superhighways, the suspension of the import duty on petroleum products and specific tax exemptions.

Perez reiterated that the country has 70 days inventory as of the end of February, with a 43-day in-country inventory to last until mid-April 2003.

"With additional 11 million barrels loading this month, equivalent to 36 days, the total inventory will last up to mid-May," Perez said.

Prisoners at the Correctional Institution for Women (CIW) are having their day out of court.

For them, serving terms will no longer be as punitive as it appears as they engage in a livelihood program that will earn for them hard cash while affording them a more productive role inside their rehabilitation home.

The Department of Justice (DOJ) Ladies' Circle and the CIW have recently signed a memorandum of agreement for the implementation of a livelihood program.

The agreement provides assistance to the women prisoners in the production of bed sheets, pillows and pillowcases, among other things.

Already, the DOJ Ladies' Circle has turned over to the CIW 12 sewing machines with motors, 900 pieces of bed sheets, 450 pieces of mats, 83 dozens of face towels, 400 kilos of open fiber pillows, 120 yards of cloth for hospital uniforms, 960 yards for pillows, pillowcases and rolls of threads.

The DOJ Ladies’ Circle noted that the program would give the beneficiaries a source of income, enable them to spend productive hours while in prison, and prepare them for their eventual reintegration into society's mainstream.

The circle is mandated to undertake and promote social welfare programs and activities for the less privileged members of the community particularly prisoners in national penitentiaries.

Defense officials today assured the safety of displaced families in Pikit and the Buliok Complex in North Cotabato when they return to their former homes now that the former conflict areas are being declared by the government as a "zone of peace."

In a press briefing in Malacaņang, Defense Secretary Angelo Reyes said that the declaration of a "zone of peace" is a step that the government has taken to facilitate and encourage the evacuees to return to their former homes and live normal lives.

"Of course, we will secure them and we will try, as much as possible, to let them live their normal lives," Reyes said.

Reyes, however, said that there is no airtight guarantee that the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) as well as other lawless elements would not harass them.

But Reyes said that the military and the police will go after these lawless elements if they will harass or harm the residents.

In the same briefing, Gen. Dionisio Santiago, chief of staff of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP), said that when an area is declared a zone of peace, the military would move out from the population centers and will be just in the periphery.

Santiago said the police and the military will make sure that criminal elements would not enter the zone to ensure the security of the returning evacuees.

In case there will be criminal activities inside the populated areas, the police and the military will have to go there and make sure that the perpetrators of these criminal acts would be apprehended and prosecuted.

"That is as simple as that. We will sort of box the area. And we will just be in the periphery," Santiago said.

Presidential Adviser for Mindanao Jesus Dureza said that the cooperation of the MILF in the setting up these zones of peace in Mindanao would be most welcomed.

"The government is determined to take the initiative in pushing for this because we feel that this is the right thing to do for the people in the affected areas," Dureza said.

The Davao City bombing early this evening is a brazen act of terrorism that will not go unpunished. The killing is a cowardly crime not only against the Filipino people but against humanity itself. I assure you justice will be done.

I will mobilize the full powers of the Presidency to identify and capture not only the inhuman perpetrators of this crime but their co-conspirators as well.

The Philippine National Police has responded quickly to the bombing, and I have been informed that their men have already several men in custody being interrogated for committing these murders

I have ordered the PNP and the AFP to set up a joint command center in Davao City that would undertake a massive operation to hunt down the bombers and their accomplices. I have ordered the PNP to expand their security perimeters around critical and heavily-populated centers, and the AFP to clear suspected lairs of terrorists around Davao City.

I am directing DILG Secretary Joey Lina and Defense Secretary Angelo Reyes to proceed immediately to Davao City to make sure on the ground that my orders are implemented. I am directing Secretary Lina to make sure that local government units are mobilized in preventing future such acts of brazen terrorism. I have appointed Davao City Mayor Rudy Duterte as crisis manager to oversee operations against the terrorists responsible for the bombing and to ensure the security of Davao City.