damn if they do and damn if they don't

The abominable and cold-blooded massacre in the province of Maguindanao last Monday is one of the most heinous and detestable crime committed in the history of Philippine politics and should be condemn in the most strongest term.

Yet this would give everyone a bird’s eye view of the long and precarious peace and order situation in Mindanao. Powers in the hands of those who are armed and dangerous are intoxicating and addictive.

A normal site which we see abnormally along the national highway of Makilala, North Cotabato is a convoy of troops of uniformed military personnel waiting for a Very Important Politician coming from Davao City going back to their hometown province of Maguindanao.

At one point I asked in Maguindanao dialect who they were and I was told that they are military and para-military personnel escorts of a politician. Looking afar, no one could distinguish if they are organic military personnel as they wore all the badges and complete paraphernalia, with high powered firearms.

Actually this didn’t bother me as much, as I grow up with this scenario and accustomed to such environment. That is why maybe we become calloused to the fighting that is happening around us. And maybe because we don’t see any efforts from the national government in dismantling such armed groups. For us, if they hurt us we fight back. A tooth for a tooth!

As I see it, the Mangudadatu is hurting but they are just biting their teeth. Yet they are crying for vengeance in a “peaceful” way allowing the government to pursue the normal course of the law.. The problem is that they have identified the perpetrators for such damnable act. Am sure they are asking for no less from the government.

The dilemma is that we Mindanaoan’s know that the Ampatuan’s is close ally of the administration. No matter what the present government declares, it would just be words and unless heads starts to roll, the thirst for blood will never be quenched.

My question is, are the Ampatuan’s willing to sacrifice one of their own to be the guinea pig to answer such monstrous massacre? Would the government put to justice one of the Ampatuan’s whom the Mangudadatu insinuate as the instigator, and has been seen in sight during the massacre?

This remains to be seen and pardon me for my skeptism, but I see this to be impossible.

In effect, the Mangudadatu is crying for justice, blood for blood for those who had inflected them with such unpardonable offence, and for sure they are asking for no less than the head of the persons responsible. On the other hand, would the Ampatuan’s succumb to such pressure?

How would our government react to such pressure, would they be true in saying that no one is above the law? Would they be willing to repay blood for blood to avoid “rido?” Would the government be willing to make the sacrifice in severing their ties with the Ampatuan’s irregardless of the consequences?

I don’t want to be a prophet of doom, and I am praying that I am wrong. Any whitewash on the on going “investigation” would be detrimental. Damn if they do, and damn if they don’t. Nonetheless if the government does not handle this situation properly, in the soonest possible time then, we will witness more bloodbaths in the coming days! God helping us!

ATHEIST HAVE NO FUN

ATHEIST HAVE NO FUN

Susan is my sister-in-law who works in a very successful computer software company in America. She has lived in San Francisco since 1988. Despite her long stay there, she admits to a hard time adjusting to the American culture, particularly that side which persecutes Christianity.

A couple of Decembers ago, some of her officemates said “Susan, we know you mean well. But we prefer you greet us ‘Happy Holidays’ to Merry Christmas.” Susan’s bewilderment led them to explain, “You see some people here are offended by the words ‘Merry Christmas’ because of the word Christ in it. It’s not a politically correct greeting.”

Time passed and her officemate Kathy, an avowed Atheist, made a mistake in the payroll. She’s a very outspoken person in charge of accounting. She’s the kind of woman who wouldn’t hesitate to engage in a debate to prove there is no God.

Susan got her pay envelope, and immediately noticed something amiss. The pay was a few hundred bucks short, which had never happened before. So she went straight to Kathy asking for an explanation.

At first Kathy couldn’t believe she made a mistake. But as Kathy reviewed the payroll sheet, Susan noticed that her eyes opened wide. In no time at all, Kathy was in shock and was panicking. She did make a mistake: a major one that would cause the company to lose thousands of dollars. The ore intense she was at concentrating on her papers, the more amused Susan was with watching her.

She audibly murmured, “Oh my God… oh my God… oh my God.” She knew what that mistake meant – it would cost her job. That was when Susan with a naughty smile on the lips, interrupted Kathy saying, “But Kathy, I thought you did not believe in God. So why are you calling Him?”

Kathy straightened up but offered no apology. Then she looked back at her papers, “Oh my… oh me… oh my… oh me…” and the fear continued. It’s sad, isn’t it? People refuse to acknowledge the existence of God, have no one else to turn to but themselves – a pitiful substitute – during inevitable times of need.

An atheist was spending a quiet day fishing when suddenly his boat was attacked by the Loch Ness monster. In one easy flip, the beast tossed him and his boat high into the air. Then it opened its mouth to swallow both. As the man sailed head over heels, he cried out, “Oh my God! Help me!”

At once the ferocious attack scene froze in place, and the atheist hung in midair, a booming voice came down from the clouds, “I thought you didn’t believe in me?”

“Come on God, give me a break,” the man pleaded. “I didn’t believe in the Loch Ness Monster either.” - from the book of Francis Kong – ONE DAY AT A TIME

have a good laugh

what think ye of "you know who" for el presidente?

if we notice lately.... most of the news articles if not all contains issues on people who are probables for 2010. "people you know who" are accusing each other of corruptions, grandstanding basically to get the attention of madlang people, riding on issues that can add up to their ratings, standing up "kuno" for what they advocate at maraming pakulo by their spinners... ads like padyak, overseas workers, may hawak na bata, only to name a few and we can expect more to come as d-day is approaching...

what pains me is that we never seem to learn, ( I hope am wrong on these)... as a friend once said " what it seems to be is not what it is" so what ever is seen or portrayed is not necessarily so, but spinners "only" give us what we expect to see. Unlike the fight of Manny "pacman" Pacquiao... boy that was real, kitang kita and ebendenciya...knock out! and that was real. I hope we can do the same in discerning this presidentiables on what they really represent!

I like the project of abs-cbn "ako ang simula" on their advocacy to register, be out and be counted and man the fort for what we believed irregardless of who we are supporting. "what think ye people of mindanao!" should we wait for another 6 years to do what is right.. or is time ripe right now to make a difference... angkinin natin ang bukas!

Mindanao a never ending conflict of interest?

I wrote this article a while back, during the heat of the battle of MOA-AD here in North Cotabato... thought of adding it up here, as it seem, it is a never ending battle and conflict here in mindanao......

What would it take to achieve peace in Mindanao?

This seems to be a million dollar question for Mindanao and up to now, with all the mind boggling and intricacies and web spinning of peacemakers, peace has been illusive to capture.

A few weeks ago, intense fighting erupted in North Cotabato when the Moro Islamic Liberation front (MILF) reported occupied 21 barangays of the province at the eve of the Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) signing for Bangsa Moro Juridical Entity (BJE). The question is, why would they do that? Is it the pressure the government to assure the MOA signing?

As Vice Governor Emmanuel Pinol of North Cotabato sounded the trumpet against the neglect of the government in protecting its people as well as the non-consultation of the populace for inclusion in the BJE; the government to the rescue with an ultimatum of 24 hours to give the MILF time to vacate the occupied barangays and send Army troops ready to free the said areas. With fire power of 105 howitzer, mortar shelling, and air support fighting ensued intensely, it left casualties of civilian populace, houses burnt, and animals slaughtered. These are considered collateral damages in a war. Yet we cannot deny the fact that brothers of the same fate, Christian and Muslim alike are the victims. Lives and livelihood transformed into chaos and poverty.

One may ask who’s the big spinner for this to happen. Is it really peace that we want? Or is it a part of a big political plot?

As the raging MILF fighters shifted the fight to the province of Lanao and other areas of Mindanao, casualties of war has increased on both sides. MILF and soldiers bring home their dead to be buried, while families and relatives wail for the loss of their love ones! The question would be who is winning? What did we achieve so far as peace is concerned?

After the armed groups of MILF under Commander Umbra Kato of the 105^th base command had allegedly left their fighting stance in the province of North Cotabato, bombs had started to explode in different towns of the province, gripping fear and uncertainty of the future. As an ordinary Mindanaoan, we have learned to live with it as part of our living condition in a tumultuous and warn torn Mindanao.

As the sword of Damocles hanging by the thread and ready to chop off the head of the peace loving dove with leaves of peace hovering over Mindanao, one wonders what future awaits us.

Recalling my younger days, I remember playing marbles with my Muslim brother Musanip and shooting it out with him with our wooden guns like John Wayne and Clint Eastwood while his Mom Babu Pitua prepared us lunch. Never would I dream that our peaceful co-existence would not last long as we go our separate ways evacuating from our place of “Shangri-La” in Libungan North Cotabato as the fighting sparked with the Ilaga movement and the blackshirts of the late 60’s and early 70’s erupted.

Our school activities were disrupted as I moved to Cotabato City in the early 70’s, almost during the declaration of Martial Law in 1972. It had been another time of adventure where my schoolmates and classmates belonged to the Muslim communities of the City. We argued and reasoned in our classroom as seasoned fighters in the academic arena, while we hovered and went for cover when the mortar shells rained the area of PC Hill Cotabato City coming from the marshland of Carcar where the Moro National Liberation Front is holding up while seeing the Philippine Air Force drops bombs against the Muslim rebels. We all shed our tears when one of our teacher died as her house was hit by the mortar shelling. Yet in spite of it all there was no animosities amongst us students of the Notre Dame Boys Department of Cotabato City.

Looking back, I could not help but feel the same scenario unfolding. Christian men arming themselves fighting the Muslim rebels while the firefight ads up to the numbers of people evacuating. The danger now is that, the fighting shift into the urban areas, where the rebels are turning non combatant populace into hostages and shields to create havoc and fear in the hearts and mind of the people.

Does the MILF really believe that by doing so, they are winning their fight for a Muslim Mindanao? Or is it adding fuel to escalate a possible atrocity between Christians and Muslim? Is it a war of ideology and freedom, or is it terrorism in its ugly form cloaked in fighting for Muslim land? Is Muslim Mindanao only for Muslim or also for Christian?

My dad always tells me when I was young that Mindanao is a Land of Promise. And I was told to fight for the right to live on it in co-existence with my Muslim brothers – to live in harmony and peace. Yet this fragile situation in Mindanao keeps me wondering how it would possible. Would my children experience peace in their future? Or would they have the same experience as I had when I was young?

Could war bring peace? Or could peace be achieved by war? Are we all just pawns in the big chess game of peace, in the pursuit of others for political and economic gains?

Am reminded by this scripture that I was taught when I was young “From whence come wars and fighting’s among you? Come they not hence, even of your lusts that war in your members? Ye lust, and have not: ye kill, and desire to have, and cannot obtain: ye fight and war, yet ye have not, because ye ask not. Ye ask, and receive not, because ye ask amiss, that ye may consume it upon your lusts. James 4: 1-3

I personally believed that peace as elusive as it maybe can be achieved if we let go of our personal vested interest and pursue peace genuinely. And that we can be counted on to achieved peace no matter what the cost and the sacrifices maybe in our lives, for our future and the future of children!

....IN THIS CORNER...

In wanting to make a difference, in the lives of our young ones, we promoted a boxing tournament in Kapayawi, Libungan through the help of Vice Governor Manny Pinol and many others ... and here's round one...

My Journey……

Holy week is here….. throng of people are making headway to see loved ones who they only see on days like this…or just take a breathing … away from the fast facing, exciting or maybe mundane life… a time alone with the family or friends for fun and fellowship…a time of bonding for those we care for, or just a time alone with our Maker reflecting and communicating… what ever reason we each have… it is a holiday and however we make use of it, its for our personal benefit and enrichment, spiritually or otherwise….

Thirty one years ago this week, a dream had changed the direction of my life. Just like any Holy week time, I came home to my family in Libungan, Cotabato as time of school is over. One of my teachers had asked me to join the “Passion of the Cross” and to carry the cross for the different stations which I did. But before the last station, somebody came and told me that my father needed me right away, and him not knowing what I was doing. An obedient son, I came home not finishing the tasked...

Nevertheless that night, I did dream of the continuation of my day, starting where I left off and off to the little church that we had in Nicaan, Libungan. As a young church goer, I seldom go inside the church but normally linger outside listening to sermon, this time the last seven words.

While leaning on the church door….closing my eyes, bowing and listening intently to the message that was played on the radio for live simulcast of the mass… someone or somebody tapped my shoulder and whispered… “Why don’t you go inside…? There are a lot of benches empty”, to which I replied “I’m okay here as it’s a bit hot and humid inside.” Again, the second time I was tapped and heard, “there’s more room inside…do come in.” Losing my concentration and a bit annoyed, snapped back “why don’t you go inside and just leave me alone, I’m okay.” A second or two passed, I felt the soft touch on my shoulder, with a tender and understanding voice echoed in my ear. “Son, its okay, but it would be nice for you to sit down inside and listen.”

Irked and annoyed, disturbed by the intrusion as I wanted to be left alone in my contemplation. I opened my eyes, bowing in the same position, turned my back, and first saw the feet in sandals, looking up slowly in a disgusting manner to someone who is disturbing my peace, I saw the white “white abito”…. “Uh -uh… it’s a priest”.

Changing to my sorry face, looking apologetic, I looked up… and what I saw, just freak me out and I started screaming!!

I saw a bright shinning face… not blinding but calm and soothing, a Face that seem to understand what I am and who I am. And come to think of it… it wasn’t scary but the light had the peaceful aura that envelops my being…… and that started my journey …the search for the meaning of my dream!