An event organizer faxed me this morning the new schedule of activities for the 12th ASEAN Summit in January. The fax says the delegates (including the international media) will start arriving on January 4, just few days behind the January 11 schedule. But until now I am still in the belief that the ASEAN Summit will not push through. If it indeed pushes through, that will be a big boost to the country that has been receiving criticisms from dignitaries around Southeast Asia.
I was at the International Media Center inside the Cebu International Convention Center when Amb. Marciano Paynor, the secretary general of the 12th ASEAN Summit, announced that the summit was postponed due to bad weather. There was immediately an atmosphere of doubt among the local and international media. A reporter from a Japanese newspaper asked Paynor whether or not the hot issue on Con-Ass and the impending mass actions have prompted the government to postpone the Summit. Paynor immediately downplayed the issue, saying there was no other reason except for the weather.
But as days passed by, information have started to surface regarding the real reason of the postponement. A military officials claimed that authorities have been tracking down an alleged member of the Jemaah Islamiyah, the group that allegedly planned to sow terror during the summit together with its local counterpart - the Abu Sayaff Group, but failed to locate the terrorist.
This has prompted security officials to call off the summit for fear that the alleged terrorist will succeed in doing a car bombing operation in Cebu City. Prime ministers of ASEAN member countries have allegedly also been informed about it, prompting them to call off their participation.
This was seen as the real reason behind the postponement of the summit. This is very valid as compared to the weather (by the way, typhoon Seniang didn't do much damage to Cebu as what was feared. We cannot compromise security specially that our Air Force does not have the capability to foil air attacks. What our authorities can do is just watch a plane that goes straight to the path of the summit venue.
The summit has been rescheduled in January. With the hectic schedules of presidents and prime ministers, I don't think the organizers can convene at least half of the leaders of the ASEAN member countries. And if (fingers crossed) the summit pushes through this January, let's all hope that any acts of terrorism will be foiled and the summit will go on peacefully.
