COLLEGE OF EDUCATION

Visca, Baybay City, Leyte, PHILIPPINES

Telefax: 563-7527

Email: education@vsu.edu.ph

Website: www.vsu.edu.ph

Name: Regine V. Nerves Course & Year: BSEd 2 Major: Social Studies
Subject: Trends and Issues in Social Studies Submitted to: Mrs. Mildred Siarez

20 Years After 9/11: How Has Terror in the Philippine Changed?

(Reaction Paper)
The documentary of CNA Insider’s investigation and analyses is about the 9/11
incident and how that pivotal event affected the terror landscape in the Philippines. I was
surprised of how by the fact that the Philippines actually served as a staging ground for many
of the precursor and test runs for 9/11. Yes, I am one of those people that whenever we think
about the 9/11 incident, who tend to conjure up this image of it being planned in some dark
cave in Afghanistan when in fact the seeds of the attack were already being planted in the
Philippines.The brains behind the plot Bojinka (means Big Bang) was top Al-Qaeda leader
Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, mastermind of the 9/11 attacks who choose to live in Manila
because they could call on the Abu Sayyaf Group for help, and with good reason given with
their history. Their plan was to blow up the selected 11 jetliners from Asia, the Bojinka plot
was very much a proof of concept. It was a proof of concept for Al-Qaeda, for what
transpired several years later on 11 September. So, this was a very significant plot in the
history of international terrorism.
A nexus was formed between Al-Qaeda and Abu Sayyaf Group when they fought
alongside each other against the Soviet Union in Afghanistan in the 1980s. Since then terror
groups has evolved. Al-Qaeda has a good position to make a move in a troubled Philippines
with Abu Sayyaf plainly waging jihad to establish an Islamic state in the Philippines. The
Abu Sayyaf Group took ideological inspiration, funding and training from Al-Qaeda as they
started to rise in prominence on the global stage. Abu Sayyaf Group engaged in behaviour
like kidnappings, murder, especially gruesome beheadings, extortion and robbery. They’re
regarded as the most dangerous militant group in the Philippines. The group weakened when
the United States and the Philippines implemented the Joint Special Operations Task Force-
Philippines and due to the lack of funding coming from Al-Qaeda, because the United States
was already pursuing Osama bin Laden. The group later return to global attention when the
rise of ISIS in the Middle East occur, and this had a very galvanising impact around the
world. One of the group's leaders, Isnilon Hapilon, even released a video, pledging allegiance
to ISIS and was anointed Hapilon as the emir of ISIS in the Philippines and in Southeast
Asia. The emergence of Isnilon Hapilon was the beginning of the road to the destructive
battles in Marawi. The plan for Marawi was for Isnilon Hapilon to serve as an ISIS general of
sorts, marshal troops and fighters from across the Philippines to Marawi, lay siege to the city,
occupy it and establish a caliphate that spanned Southeast Asia. The Philippines, specifically
Marawi City, would be the headquarters of the Islamic State province in Southeast Asia.
Hapilon teamed up with local militants under the Maute Group and other extremists who had
been fighting for an independent Islamic state in southern Philippines. It took five months for
the Philippine Forces to finally regain control of the city, the triumph came at a terrible cost.
 COLLEGE OF EDUCATION
Visca, Baybay City, Leyte, PHILIPPINES

Telefax: 563-7527

Email: education@vsu.edu.ph

Website: www.vsu.edu.ph

The scars of the battle is still visible until today 5 years later. The slow rehabilitation process
of Marawi City, the problems of economic losses, social disruptions, housing and COVID-19
are not adequately addressed, this would essentially give rise to a next generation of angry
young people, who would be ripe for radicalisation by violent Islamist groups.
How can another Marawi siege be prevented then? The concerns over how other
Mindanao cities might be targeted next by remnants of the Maute Group (MG) or other
Islamic State-inspired terrorist groups, cities like Cotabato in neighbouring Maguindanao
province are viewed warily by the military owing to the presence of other IS-pledged
militants such as the Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters (BIFF). Marawi was the
proverbial perfect storm for an urban siege. Prevailing insecurity, the built environment and
its alienated population coalesced into a setting conducive for the MG. Even if the MG and or
Islamic States (IS) did not exist, the conditions in the city laid the conditions for the eventual
emergence of a violent extremist group. The Moro people have a long history of struggling
for self-determination a resistance to their inclusion, be it by Spain, the Americans or the
Philippine government, since time immemorial and it has come up in many different forms. It
led to the loss of their ancestral domains and natural resources, and this resentment would
eventually transform into a more systematic opposition against the Philippine government in
the 1960s. That opposition would lead to hostilities and eventually create one of Southeast
Asia's bloodiest conflicts. Insurgent groups would form and splinter, with some prepared to
negotiate and others rejecting any peace process. Another separatist group is the Moro
Islamic Liberation Front (MILF). Over the decades, the MILF has negotiated with each
government of the day. Do not be very optimistic. There were many failed attempts at an
agreement. They would sign ceasefires, but those ceasefires would eventually break down.
The government would pursue at least two all-out wars against the Moro Islamic Liberation
Front, leading to massive displacement and deaths of civilian populations and soldiers.
They’ve become so used to the conflict because of these repeated failures. Despite these
failed attempts there was hope, The Comprehensive Agreement on the Bangsamoro was a
landmark peace deal. It embodies the Moro people's dream of self-determination. This is
really about ownership, esteem and pride. At the core of the Bangsamoro is really the religion
of Islam. It basically pervades their identity as the Bangsamoro. When the Bangsamoro
Organic Law was ratified, you could sense that the people's hopes were very high. It was like
a fiesta atmosphere where people got together. Finally, in 2019, the Bangsamoro
Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao was created. Simply called the BARMM, that
encompasses five Muslim-majority provinces in the south. Both the government and the
MILF have always referred to the peace deal as the cure to terrorism. The MILF said that by
addressing the historical grievances of the Moro people, the violent extremism would
eventually become irrelevant. But while establishing the BARMM may be a huge step
forward, it cannot be the last. Getting rid of extremism is a challenge the MILF leaders must
contend with. They are now at the helm of an interim government. It’s a migraine, causes
anxiety, judging from what we experienced in Marawi in 2017, they still pose a threat to the
security of our community and our streets like the Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters
(BIFF) who believe that autonomy is not enough so they refused to accept the peace deal and
continues with attacks. But again, the government should not be held hostage by what these
 COLLEGE OF EDUCATION
Visca, Baybay City, Leyte, PHILIPPINES

Telefax: 563-7527

Email: education@vsu.edu.ph

Website: www.vsu.edu.ph

people believe in or put on hold all the services of the government. Terrorism is a constant
threat. ISIS is still an imminent threat. Be it from ISIS or militants that reject the peace deal,
the BARMM remains vulnerable to terror. We can’t let this thin rope of hope to snap. In
addition to the tensions there’s poverty and COVID-19 that made Bangsamoro struggle more
as the one of the poorest region. Terror groups could also capitalize on the slow rebuilding of
Marawi and spread the narrative that the transitional government and the peace process has
failed. Terror groups have always capitalized on the volatility and instability of the
Bangsamoro. I am deeply worried by the effect it can have, because if the BARMM
collapses, I believe it will reopen the debate over a caliphate in Southeast Asia. As ISIS had
targeted the possibility of creating an organization that would unite different jihadist groups
in Southeast Asia. We will have probles wih Indonesia, Singapore or Malaysia. I am afraid
that if the BARMM crumble, the agenda of the caliphate will be back. The interim
government has its work cut out, especially now, as a threat from miles away comes back to
haunt. History could repeat itself.
To effectively counter terrorism, the government should recognize the need to holistically
address the root causes of terrorism through a whole-of-government and whole-of-society
approach working with intergovernmental organizations, civil society, communities, victims
and their families. A lot needs to be done, needs to be more effective counter-narratives that
show that extremist ideology is not right.We should show to the Moro population that life can
be better If we just do communicate . Efforts to make the BARMM a success story are
underway. On the outskirts of Cotabato City, a group of former MILF combatants who fought
in the insurgency are now training to be peacekeepers which is the good start that they need.
The lack of employment and lack of opportunities are the things that make people take up
arms and wage a war. Of course it is difficult for them that's why we need to reach out to
these rebels. Our time in the battlefield is over. As part of the peace deal, it is nice that there
are programmes to help thousands of former fighters to put down their weapons. For every
firearm handed over, they receive money to help them rebuild their lives. This outreach
project helps train them in fish farming. Now that we have the Bangsamoro peace process.
With that, they're able to understand how they can develop their own social enterprise or start
up their own business, integrate Islamic finance and become productive citizens of the
country. A lot of these fighters do not have legal identity in the Philippines. They don't have
papers to show that they are citizens of this country. This is really about who gives them a
better future rather than just going down the rabbit hole of extremism. It's been 20 years since
9/11. There might be setbacks, but the battle against terror in the Philippines must continue.
Let's not forget that 9/11 is a story that began in Afghanistan and played out in part in the
Philippines.
In the past 20 years, the Philippine government has achieved a lot in countering terrorism.
They now have a better understanding of the threat and better countermeasures. The
challenge is, the Philippine government needs to outsmart these terrorist groups.