The mayor of a town just outside Manila, Santa Rosa City, Leon Arcillas, was gunned down yesterday along with a bodyguard, moments after officiating a mass wedding. Law enforcement sources say the hit was similar to those perpetrated before by the New People's Army (NPA), an armed militia of the Communist Party of the Philippines. The NPA wounded Arcillas in an assassination attempt nearly two years ago, and has issued death threats to him since then. Arcillas was an ally of Arroyo, and Philippines National Police had recently begun a stepped-up campaign against loose firearms and hired killers.

BBC notes the Maoist NPA is branded a terrorist group by the U.S.; has assassinated public officialas before; has as many as 8,000 members, and has been fighting a guerilla battle for three decades.

Meanwhile, the Philippines retains its title as assassination central for journalists. A recent report by the Committee To Protect Journalists puts the nation at the top of the list, with 18 killings of journalists since 2000.

However, The Guardian reports that according to the National Union of Journalists of The Philippines (NUJP), the toll is actually 23 since 2000, the most recent being last Wednesday's killing of Klein Cantoneros, an outspoken radio critic of local government corruption.

A spokesperson for the Philippines Center For Investigative Journalism tells The Guardian that radio is a huge medium in the country, and a number of the journalists assassinated are fiery, anti-corruption commentators like Cantoneros, known as "blocktimers," who purchase time blocks to say whatever they want. Blocktimers may sometimes go overboard in their commentary, but hardly deserve to be killed. That they draw large audiences suggests many Phillipinos share their concerns, but live in silent fear, nonetheless.

Institutional corruption in The Phillipines is able to flourish partly because of the nation's dispersed, island geography; and runs straight to organized crime, law enforcement and the halls of local government. The Guardian:

Inday Espina-Varona, the chairwoman of the NUJP...(said)... "It's all to do with the consolidation of criminal and political power," she said, adding that in some areas, politicians and law enforcement officials appear to act with impunity. So when people find the way to local justice is blocked they naturally run to the media to air their grievances and in the local areas radio is king."

Any allegations of police complicity are unfounded, according to Supt. (Pedro, head of Task Force Newsmen, a special team investigating deaths of Philippine journalists) Tango. "The accusations are widespread but they are not accurate," he said. However he added: "We're not denying that some military and police personnel have been involved in some cases."

He also admitted that the national police chief took control of the Cantoneros investigation away from the Dipolog commander at the weekend after claims by the victims' relatives that local officers may have been linked to the crime. "The investigation is now being conducted by a regional level task force," Supt. Tango said.

Police corruption is not confined to individual officers. In March, all 529 officers of the North Abra provincial force were transferred amidst reports of corruption and links to organised crime....Espina-Varona said.."..there's a worrying pattern prevailing. It's not just journalists getting killed. It's many civic community leaders, environmental campaigners, human rights activists and anti-corruption activists. There won't be fundamental change until the culture of impunity ends."

In this lawless society, the two biggest Islamic terrorist threats - Abu Sayyaf and Jeemah Islamiyah - remain highly viable.

Presently,the Australian Foreign Ministry is warning of a high risk of a terrorist bombing in the Philippines targeting tourists or ex-pats.

A travel advisory from the Aussies stated:

Recent reports suggest that terrorists are in the final stages of planning an attack. Attacks could occur at any time, anywhere in the Phillipines.

The advisory identifies as possible targets coastal resorts, embassies, ex-pat housing complexes, malls, clubs, hotels, restaurants, bars, schools, places of worship, outdoor rec areas, tourist areas, and especially ferries.

The culture of cowardice and corruption which underpins the Phillipines' perpertual state of emergency will not be soon rectified, if Manilenya is right.