Having been colonized and invaded by at least five nations, it is no wonder than the Philippines is full of diverse members with their own strict religious beliefs. These strict beliefs are supposed to be the root of the havoc the terrorist group Abu Sayyaf is currently wreaking in the southern part of the Philippines. “The group operates with the ideological underpinnings of extremist Islam and hopes to establish an independent Muslim state in the southern Philippines” (Crowley, 2005).
This intention is particularly shown in how they kidnap members of the Catholic Church for ransom (wherein they use the money for their goals) and how they constantly fight for the rights of owning Mindanao, making it a purely Islamic region. Other goals of the group include improving the life of ethnic Filipinos in Malaysia and the release of the World Trade Center bomber Ramsey Yousef (Frazie, n. d. ).
Like many other nations in the world, the Philippines is trying to find ways to eradicate terrorism in the country, or at lease bring it to a minimum.
Although the country lacks the capabilities to completely quash the terrorist attacks, several recommendations have been made about what the government can do to uplift the situation. First, the Philippine government should combat terrorism by addressing its socioeconomic and political roots, in other words, they must find the possible motives for violence that the ASG is using, such as political repression, the lack of autonomy, or depravity of their rulers.
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Second, the government should not succumb to the terrorists requests, like paying ransoms, releasing prisoners, or changing it policies or agreeing to other acts that might encourage additional terrorism. Third, the government must pursue a greater cooperation between all the regions of the country. Fourth, the government must have a proper intelligence department in the military that collects and analyzes information from agencies participating in anti-terrorist activities. Fifth, the country must implement good governance and avoid the corrupt acts that many politician are being accused of at present.
Lastly, the Congress must learn to amend their laws to ensure appropriate punishment of terrorists (Manalo, 2004).
References Crowley, Z. (2005).
Abu Sayyaf. Retrieved May 13, 2009 from http://www. cpt-mi. org/pdf/ AbuSayyafv3. pdf Frazie, A. E. (n. d. ).
History of Abu Sayyaf. Retrieved May 13, 2009 from http://www. mthol yoke. edu/~aefrazie/world%20politics116/terrorist_groups/MILF/History_AbuSayyaf. htm Manalo, E. P. (2004).
The Philippine response to terrorism: The Abu Sayyaf Group. Retrieved May 13, 2009 from http://www. fas. org/irp/world/para/manalo. pdf
