EDITORIAL- A persistent threat

The day the nation commemorates the death anniversary of national hero Jose Rizal also marks the day in 2000 when terrorists set off bombs around Metro Manila, killing 22 people.

Probers pinned responsibility for the Rizal Day bombings, with the highest death toll seen in a coach of the Light Rail Transit in Manila, on the Moro Islamic Liberation Front and the bomb makers of Jemaah Islamiyah. Despite the arrest of the perpetrators and a continuing campaign against extremist violence, terrorism remains a significant threat, as in many other parts of the world.

The other night twin explosions rocked a town fiesta in the Leyte town of Hilongos, leaving at least 35 people wounded. The attack was meant to claim maximum casualties, with the improvised explosive device reportedly set off using a mobile phone as a large crowd gathered to watch a boxing bout.

An hour later at 10:20 p.m., an IED also went off along a highway in Aleosan, North Cotabato, wounding at least six persons on a passing truck hauler. The area lies about 25 kilometers from Midsayap in the same province, where at least 17 people were wounded by a grenade attack on Christmas Eve.

Military and police officers are reportedly eyeing the Maute group, which claims inspiration from the terrorist Islamic State, as well as drug dealers for the bombings. The government has denied speculative reports that the attacks were meant to lay the groundwork for the declaration of martial law, which President Duterte said yesterday he did not intend to “ever” do.

The Rizal Day bomb attacks in 2000 were staged almost simultaneously on the LRT train in Sta. Cruz and in Plaza Ferguson across the US embassy in Manila as well as a bus along EDSA in Quezon City, the cargo handling area at the NAIA, and near a gas station along EDSA in Makati’s Central Business District.

This week’s attacks in Leyte and North Cotabato are just the latest reminders that extremist violence remains a serious threat. Confronting the threat calls for an intensified effort, the arrest of the perpetrators, and citizens’ vigilance and cooperation.