On Terrorism

Today is 9/11. Need I tell you the significance of that date? Of course not.

So since it’s that date, let’s talk about terrorism. I am not going to talk about the act that happened a dozen years ago. It was a lot more terrible, yes, but what I will talk about is more significant to me at the moment because it is happening right now, and it is happening to my very own hometown, where my mother currently is.

Now some of you may have read this post I wrote last Monday. In a nutshell, I will reiterate – a terrorist group seized close to 200 hostages and used them as human shields to make demands from our government. What are their demands? It’s a long story that I don’t want to go into, but it has something to do with rights to the city, and if you really are interested, you can read about it here.

The poor hostages are being walked through town with a rope holding them together. Below is a picture of them making the rounds of social media.

These poor people were taken last Monday.

What has happened since then?

• Rebels have marched into people’s homes and taken additional hostages willy nilly
• Gun fire between the military and the rebels
• Classes suspended
• Banks and shops closed
• All commercial flights to and from the city cancelled
• People have been locked up in their own homes in fear (including my mom)
• More than 6000 people in affected areas have been forced to evacuate their homes. These people had to go to evacuation centers and they have no food, so people have been working to get them fed.
• A village was set on fire by the rebels, and firetrucks could not put out the fire because rebel snipers surrounded the burning houses, ready to gun down anyone who made a move.
• An official was mistaken for a rebel and gunned to death by military. His son also sustained wounds and is currently lying in critical condition in a hospital.
• All sorts of rumors making people panic. The rumor about houses to be burned down unfortunately came true, though.

 

 

This has been happening for three days now.

The truth is, it is not just those tied up people who have been held hostage by those terrorists, it is AN ENTIRE CITY.

Nobody has been able to live a normal life since this situation arose. Not just the people in the city who suddenly can’t go to school or go to work or withdraw money or buy medicines or groceries or prepaid cellphone load, but their loved ones abroad who can’t concentrate on work or sleep well at night from worrying about what might happen to those they left behind.

In fact yesterday while I was telling a couple of friends about this over lunch in a crowded pantry, we all started crying.

I’ve been crying since Monday. I’ve been walking around with this literally painful heavy feeling in my heart. And I’ve been trying to distract myself by overblogging, in case you haven’t noticed.

And some people have the audacity to joke about the situation, to say that this is a mere diversionary tactic from the current pork barrel scam issues, to belittle what we are going through?

To these people I say – how dare you imply that we are overreacting to the situation and that worrying will do nothing? Yes it might not, but as if we could just let it go? If you can’t say anything anything good, just please don’t say anything!!! You don’t know what we’re going through!

I’d like to end this by sharing all the statuses of my friends who do know what I’m going through right now.

On the Zam crisis: more lives lost, more wounded, more families evacuated, more burnings, one helicopter down, MNLF wearing civilian clothes… I don’t understand why the government won’t declare a state of emergency. With the situation getting increasingly bleak, I think it’s quite obvious that the MNLF are in it for the long haul. I just wish we had a panic room at Zam. Worried like crazy!

I hope all of this will end soon so all of us can have a decent sleep. We, away from our families, worry especially when the night creeps in.

10 years ago I was in Davao when Siocon was attacked and wasn’t able to sleep the whole time until I was assured that everything is under control. Worrying doesn’t change anything but I couldn’t help myself away from that knowing my parents, sister and other relatives are there in my hometown, in my comfort zone being unsafe from those rebels. God please let there be peace and strengthen me more to hold on to my faith that everything will be back to normal.

At this time, I’d rather be with my family and loved ones and go through the crisis together, than being here thousand miles away, battling your worries and fears while trying to concentrate at work!

Another night of fitful sleep. Another day of a city held hostage by terror. Dear God, please make it stop?