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Batas Mauricio

SO, what really happened at the Resorts World Complex infront of the Ninoy Aquino International Airport Terminal 3 in Pasay City yesterday? Was it a terrorist attack, as a well-known terror group promptly claimed, or was it simply the deadly tantrum of a gambler who lost not only his money from the casino tables in the hotel, but also his sanity?

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I am asking this question because, as this column was being written at about 6 in the morning, conflicting accounts of the incident continued to appear in online and in mainstream media, confusing the whole world. Clearly, the terror group is exploiting the situation to claim credit for the mayhem. Police on the other hand are saying it was the act of one man who had absolutely nothing to do with terrorism.

What truly occurred may forever remain a mystery among many of us, but what struck me most, however, was the wanton disregard of some radio personalities of what was reliable information and what was merely the speculation or wild guesses of the people which they were interviewing. The obvious goal was to score a scoop, no matter how dubious the narrations clearly appeared to be.

My take is that, what happened could not have been a terroristic attack. First, the location alone of Resorts World Complex discourages any terror assault. The fact is that, it is located just in front of the heavily guarded Ninoy Aquino International Airport Terminal 3, and is flanked on its right side by the Villamor Air Base, the home of the Philippine Air Force.

Then, it is at the foot of the airport expressway system that is likewise dotted with dozens of patrol cars at any given time. What is more, Resorts World is in the center of a hotelesidential complex that makes transporting arms and other armaments necessary to mount a terrorist attack immediately noticeable and, therefore, preventable.

Just one or two kilometers away to its eastern side, across the South Luzon Expressway, stand the Southern Police District headquarters of the Philippine National Police, as well as the headquarters of the Philippine Navy, and of some other military units which, we are sure, are ready to do battle with any terrorist. These are formidable constraints that forestall even just the thought of terrorizing Resort Worlds Complex.

But, assuming it was not a terrorist attack on Resorts World Complex, what is beyond comprehension now is the apparent facility with which someone (the identity of this person has not been known yet as of the time that this column was being written) managed to bring not only high powered firearms but incendiary materials into the hotel.

I have visited Resorts World several times already, and I can attest to the very strict security measures that are being employed by its security forces. So, truly, hotel owners must be able to give a convincing explanation on this glaring security lapse that enabled someone to indiscriminately fire his gun inside the hotel, and even burn gambling tables with gasoline or kerosene.

My prediction is that Resorts World will suffer a great decline in its patronage, because it has been shown to be unable to protect its customers and visitors, and even its own personnel. This may cause this establishment to shut down–and so with the casino that is housed therein. Well, that is the way the cookie crumbles, after all!

E-mail: batasmauricio@yahoo.com

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