Terrorist attacks by the group called ISIS in Syria and Europe killed 129 persons and injured 300 others in the latest outbreak of violence in Paris last Friday the 13th. Many countries, including the Philippines, have come out in solidarity to condemn the bloodbath that has shaken the people and government of France.
Superpowers like the United States, Russia and China have to stop ISIS from wreaking further havoc, not just to contain but to eliminate their terrorist activities which have spawned hundreds of thousands of refugees.
In the Philippines, we deal with terrorists and bandit groups in Mindanao but have not seen this scale of violence. APEC organizers must be working double-time to secure delegates and heads of state who are meeting in Manila this week.
The ISIS phenomenon has created huge inroads in the Middle East particularly in Syria and Libya, where citizens are forced to leave their homelands to avoid death in the hands of ISIS extremists.
ISIS is also the prime suspect in the downing of a Russian jet that left Egypt. All on board were killed.
The problem in dealing with the ISIS terror group is that it enjoys support from followers in other countries, making it difficult to contain. We are all praying that this group gets annihilated by combined forces that seek world peace.
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This week, leaders of 21 economies of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) are in Manila including heads of state like US President Barack Obama who is due to arrive.
The conference of CEOs, heads of state and ministers will disturb the daily routine of Manila residents as major roads will be closed to traffic.
November 17 to 20 has been declared a no-work holiday in government offices in Metro Manila , including some private companies, as well as no classes in several schools.
Street dwellers are being kept away from public view and are no longer seen in their usual places with G.I. sheets covering some slums.
The APEC organizing committee revealed that the Philippines is spending P10 billion to host the conference and stands to benefit even more than that amount.
Well, we wish all the best for the countries and delegates participating in APEC . We pray that no terror threat disrupts the programs or tarnishes the image of the Philippines as a global host. May I ask all our countrymen to cooperate to make APEC 2015 a successful conference.
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The government should look into the plight of the lumad or indigenous people from Surigao who marched to Manila to dramatize their being displaced from their communities by the continuing militarization of Surigao.
The military alleges that some lumads are working closely with the New People’s Army, a charge the IPs deny.
It’s a complex situation. The lumads only oppose mining operations in Mindanao which affect their land security and ancestral domain.
It’s unfortunate that the military is supporting mining firm operations there and label protesting lumads as NPA sympathizers.
Several have been killed and thousands of residents have evacuated for fear of their lives.
The complaints are valid. The government has to address it before the situation gets out of hand and more innocents are killed.
The lumads are getting substantial support from the Catholic Church and NGOs like the foundation of Gina Lopez of ABS-CBN.
The Commission on Human Rights should look deeper into the dire situation, especially the killings attributed to the military.