The Forces of Terrorism (Al Qaeda variety) has a flair for dramatics and an aura of sophistication.

Their "Big Bang" plan to duplicate the horrible Twin Tower 9-11 Disaster in New York (probably near its 5th year anniversary) by blowing up 10 multiple airlines in the air - flying from London to America was foiled by Scotland Yard. This would have resulted in at least 2,700 dead - with the terrorists drinking vodka over goat's stewed meat somewhere in the hills of God-knows-where there after.

Their favorite weapon of destruction is minute as it is devastating as TNT (discovered by a German scientist in 1895) which is in liquid form and can be easily concealed undetected in bottles to the airplanes. It is a mere combination of home-based stuff: acetone (ingredient of nail polish) and hydrogen peroxide (ordinary disinfectant) which can be lethally combined and detonated from afar. Inside the airplane, they can be mixed as easy as pouring gin and tonic.

The chemical unleashes a 1.5 ton per square inch equivalent when exploded and can puncture a hole in an airplane and cause it to crash. Ten exploding airplanes could have perhaps almost lighted up the London skies simultaneously as if it were New Year's eve - except that Auld Lang Syne will be replaced by the church choir's sad hymns for the dead and obituaries will fill England's and America's newspapers.

Doubtless, the world is now gripped by serious threats of new terror - and if the Al Qaeda is not involved, God save us if there is still another form out there with the same criminal bent. Security measures on planes going transatlantic to the United States are at highest levels of alert - even higher than the aftermath of the 9-11 tragedy. It is perplexing and exasperating as the Free World has to watch the terrorists all the time while "Satan's proxies" only have to score one terrorist act - to disrupt the world's psyche and then claim victory.

Hundreds of flights to and from the United States (Bin Laden's favorite sparring gladiator) have been cancelled or delayed - with business affected and the nervous systems of many frayed into chaos. Twenty people have been arrested in England and bank assets of 15 suspected financiers have been frozen - but that will help little in assuaging the world that nothing major a catastrophe will transpire before September 11, 2006, the 5th anniversary of 9-11. (see security dos and don'ts at airports - for now - elsewhere in this issue).

After 9-11, terrorists killed 191 in Madrid, Spain, 200 people in resort island of Bali Indonesia in 2002, 58 in separate attacks in Turkey and 52 people just last July 2005 in the subways of London. The whole trouble is no one knows where in the Free World the terrorists would strike next.

Manila and the Philippines will be in needles and pins-security wise from here on. The country has 6 international airports in Manila, Cebu-Mactan, Davao, Laoag, Subic, Clark and Zamboanga. Philippine-based terrorists have displayed they can attack in air, sea (35 sea ports) and land. In 1994, a mini chemical bomb contained in a contact lens liquid bottle exploded aboard a PAL flight to Japan, killing a Japanese and wounding 10 others. In December of 2002, 22 Filipinos died in a terror attack against the Manila Light Rail System and other places. In 2004, more than 200 people were killed in an extremist bomb attack aboard an inter-island boat called Super Ferry 14, off Corregidor Island near Manila Bay.

The terrorists have threatened to bomb-populated areas like malls and even churches and other places of worship. The obsession to show terror can only be equaled by the terrorists' tenacity to prove that they have no preference as to the objects of their terrorism (land, air or sea).

The new Terror Offensive also markedly demonstrates that another layer of terror experts has easily replaced their main marksmen. Remember that the chief operators of Oplan Bojinka, namely, Khaled Sheik Mohammed and Ramzi Youssel have since been arrested in Pakistan since 2003. The two are the original "liquid bomb" gurus that used Oplan Bojinka to plan blowing up 12 airplanes from Manila to America in 1995 - using the diversionary tactic of hinting at the assassination plot of the Pope while in Mahila to cover their original intent to destroy 12 intercontinental airplanes.

PNP intelligence operatives led by then Col. Sonny Razon accidentally exposed Oplan Bojinka after the Doña Josefa Apartment (Ermita) which the terrorists used as their laboratory was burned down. The cops found there - Youssef's laptop containing "Bojinka" details, a schedule of airline flights to the USA and empty toothpaste tubes with some remnants of explosive chemicals.

This new Terror Offensive using the same devastating liquid chemicals must now be manned by the duo's surrogate murder experts, woe to the world. But with the new London expose, the ever creative terrorists would now be scheming new devices, new targets and new ploys for their next strike. Nothing is safe and certain now except that New Year's Day falls on January First.

We enjoin Filipinos to be patient and endure new security measure at mall entrances, airports, sea ports, bus terminals, railway stations and the like. In this devious, evil era - we either accept the price to pay for our right to live longer or die next day needlessly and become one more propaganda item for terrorists to cajole and blackmail the rest of the Free World.

Unlike many other modern-day diseases, Terrorism is one kind of physical threat that has yet to find its fool-proof remedy.

It's not a holiday feeling to be under their thumb. Help!