Rumors about
Silay Airport bombing

That raid on the Bacolod (Silay) new international airport was certainly a shocker. But it also raised a lot of questions.

Of course, the report tended to confirm that the raiders were members of the New People's Army. But one can't help from speculating that maybe they were not really the Reds whodunnit.

But there was the other theory - that it was in revenge for the ambush slay of some 20 rebel recruits in Toboso, last week. At the time, according to a rumored version of that incident, some 20 "young recruits" were reportedly mowed down by the RPA-ABB unit.

That's makes it credible that the NPA pulled the raid to avenge the death of their followers and, second, to serve notices that they are still a force to be reckoned with in the province.

That brings to the fore the issue of why neither the military nor the police had reinforced the blue guards servicing the airport construction. That a major project as the airport of international standards was secured only by blue guards of the Mansor Security Agency begs for answers.

It is true that the RMG have their command post some two kilometers away. But that is still two kilometers far.

In short, what happened was an intelligence failure that is deplorable by any standard. Of course, it is possible that the 30 (some claim 50) members of the NPA team had gone into their marshalling area in small groups of five or three. In short, they must have deposited their firearms somewhere in the hacienda where they had grouped together for their final approach to the airport area.

Some of the security guards must have noticed the approach of a group of uniformed cops. So they should have given the alert to their colleagues. But from the reports received, they were completely taken by surprise by the rebels garbed in police's uniform. In short, had they been in communication with the RMG they could have easily verified whether the group were actually policemen.

Now that shows a glaring oversight in security planning.

Funny, neither the police nor the army learned about the incident until after the fact.

What is ironic is that neither the police nor the army authorities had taken pains to map out a security measure for a project of such magnitude as the new airport of international standards. And, prior to that here had been orders to secure government installations of vital importance. This was reiterated Monday. Too late to alter the situation.

Another major oversight was the alleged failure by the officials of the two construction firms handling the project to alert the military or the police to alleged extortion letters handed earlier to them. And, if military authorities are to be believed, there was nothing insofar as that was concerned. Still, that does not justify the lack of adequate security backup for the airport project.

One suspects that local authorities as well as the police and military must have considered the areas "sanitized." In short, that it was secure and cleared of any insurgents despite the various recent incidents of encounters between the NPA and the RPA-ABB.

One could expect that post the drying up of revolutionary taxes due to the military campaign against paying the rebels their illegal exactions that the insurgent would now resort__ to dramatic scenarios to be able to drive fear into the hearts of their traditional suppliers of "donations."

Naturally, the airport would be it.

That incident will not likely to be repeated post the delayed reaction of the authorities to secure the area. But post experiences of attacks against blue guards guarding less important projects as the airport, it should have been expected that the Silay project was going to be a target of major opportunity.

Of course, one does not expect the military or the police to be able to cope with the magnitude of the problem. Still, what is surprising is that nobody had thought that it was possible that the airport could be the target of the raiders.

***

Kudos to Negros Occidental Tourism officer Jennylind Cordero for having been elected as national president to the Association of Tourism Office of the Philippines. So with Bacolod tourism officer Butch Erasmo who was chosen as her vice president.

But what made it elating is the fact that Bacolod Tourism Officer Imogene Kanaan received from Tourism Secretary Ace Durano a special award for the tourism program of Bacolod.

Kanaan was awarded as the Most Outstanding Tourism Officer for the Philippines for 2006.

And both Bacolod and Negros Occidental received awards for the Best Tourism Week celebrations.*

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