Hospitable even to terrorists

I can't help but be mesmerized by this letter-writer at the Philippine Daily Inquirer. Complete text copied from inquirer.net. Emphasis is mine.

I agree with Manuel Almario: We are underlings in our own country. (Philippine Daily Inquirer, 5/17/08) But he never mentioned anything about what we Filipinos can do to change the situation. I worked for quite some time with our Bureau of Immigration. I have seen how stupid it is for our country to continue having an agency like this.

Everything is for sale. Remember the terrorist whose capture is worth millions of dollars to the United States, but who was escorted to the airport, using a Philippine passport, for P40 million? Nothing happened to the case.

Our country is the training ground of international terrorists, the safest haven of wanted foreign nationals, the best place to manufacture “shabu” (methamphetamine hydrochloride), etc. Muhammad Atta, one of those who piloted the planes in the 9/11 bombing, was here a month before it happened. Most wanted foreign nationals are here enjoying their happy “vacation.”

Everything is for sale at our international airports. If you are an Indian national, and you want to be a “5/6” [usury] guy, the price of a visa at the airport is P250,000.

So, Mr. Almario, we are lucky to have those businessmen in our skyscraper offices. Most of them have no working visa, they don’t pay taxes to the Bureau of Internal Revenue, and they are peace-loving people. We are lucky we have the likes of them. We are the Philippines, you know, and we are very hospitable.

LILIA SARMIENTO MALIKSI (via email)