EDITORIAL – Preserving gains

Those in the forefront of the war on terror often lament that as soon as one terrorist leader is neutralized, a replacement quickly emerges. It was true of Jemaah Islamiyah, with its top militant Riduan Isamuddin or Hambali replaced as soon as he was captured and turned over to the United States. JI later launched bomb attacks that left hundreds dead from Bali to the Philippines.

But it is possible to prevent the emergence of replacements for neutralized terrorists. It is possible to prevent terrorists from regrouping and setting up new bases, and it is possible to deprive them of popular support.

We have seen this in Basilan, where the Abu Sayyaf has failed to return to its jungle bases after being driven out in the first Balikatan joint military exercises between Philippine and US troops in 2002. People of Basilan, long terrorized by the Abu Sayyaf, have embraced development and are helping preserve the gains of their newly secure province. A similar, tougher battle is being waged in Sulu, where the government, with assistance from the United States, is fighting terror with education and development.

Sulu was the stronghold of the Abu Sayyaf faction led by Ghalib "Robot" Andang, the leering face behind the kidnapping of foreign tourists from the Malaysian island resort of Sipadan. Captured by government forces and later killed in a riot at the Camp Bagong Diwa detention center in Bicutan, Andang has not been replaced. And the ranks of the Abu Sayyaf continue to dwindle.

The other day the country got confirmation of the death of Abu Sayyaf chieftain Khadaffy Janjalani. The confirmation came on the heels of the death of Abu Sayyaf spokesman Abu Solaiman in an encounter with government troops in Sulu. President Arroyo said the deaths dealt a mortal blow to the Abu Sayyaf, an organization that has terrorized Mindanao and even Metro Manila for over a decade.

The President’s assessment will become reality only if the government addresses the roots of terrorism. Unless the government does its homework and commits to bringing development to the neglected areas in Mindanao, we haven’t heard the last of the Abu Sayyaf.