LIVING IN WAR

In the southern part of the Philippines today, there is an on-going civil war between the arm forces and terrorists that forced the civilians to abandon their homes and properties.  When watching the real footage of people escaping from the war zone, I could not help but feel depressed – the scenarios are truly heartbreaking.  Every touching moments were captured and flashed in the television screen showing the frightened people, burning houses, wrecked infrastructure, and smokes from exploded missiles.  Dogs finding foods for themselves for their masters abandoned them.  Buffalo and chicken are roaming around, but most of all it’s the human.  There is nothing greater to see the courage of our great soldiers risking their life going into the danger zone.  There is the miserable condition of the scrambling men, women, elderly and children running for their life.  Children helplessly holding their mother’s hand, parents carrying their infant babies, men carrying sick elderly and people with special needs, all of them running full of fear, running to save their life in the war, with few belongings or nothing just to escape from violence.  You can see in their eyes the fright, agitation and aversion.  Still considered fortunate these people, there are more trapped in their own houses, worry to go out for their safety outside.

While watching the news, I could not hold myself to feel the pain and the scare on the images I see in the television.  I felt a heavy burden on my chest, something is chocked on my throat until without saying any word, my eye are welling and I knew there are some tears rolling down on my face.  I am a sensitive person and this scene of drama and suspense in a real life is so touching that I cannot say I can disregard.  All are victims of consequences.  Those innocent children, what are their knowledge about the idealism fighting for?  What are their stands in the battle between the rebels and government?  There is the great surprise in eyes of the children, their eyes speak of fear, worry, helpless.  I do not know how long the violence of war will hound these people.    The fright on the face of the grownup, see their tearful eyes who just want to secure the safety of their children first and the rest they lifted them up to God.

The torture of hearing the loud explosion, the successive exchanges of gunfire from high powered firearms, the stray bullets may come anytime, and the loud sound of airplane engine launching air strikes or chopper flying low over you.  There are families trapped in their homes.  Either missiles or hunger may kill them if not rescued.  In military offensive, there may have the collateral damages.  There are the wounded and there are dead bodies, some may not be seen and accounted.  There is terror in the battle field.  How tragic to hear a baby cries out of dreading in these scenarios, children screaming for someone to calm them down.  There is no power, no water and in a few days foods will last.  Why these people need to suffer in a consequence of war that they did not choose.  Why the children have to witness this traumatic experience in their young mind.  And why the elderly have to suffer pulling out their legs running?  They have no choice, they were caught.  All of them have no choice but to run for their life.  With all of these, I cannot help myself but to weep.  Why we need to sacrifice lives just to prove who is right and who is wrong?

After the battle, the place virtually looks ghost town.  In any war, whether the defender or the aggressor wins, there is really no winner and at the end it is the civilians that are truly loser.  There is nothing new in Mindanao but nobody wants war.  Decades after decades, political, social and spiritual conflict raised in the region that put Mindanao behind in terms of quality of life, level of the economy, and the advancement of agriculture, infrastructure and industrial sectors.  Dubbed as the promise land, the place is truly a paradise blessed with natural resources, flora and fauna but it remains third class region due to unstable peace and order.  After the Zamboanga Siege that wrecked life, livelihood and properties in Mindanao, another waste of life waged in the Marawi crisis.  Until when will this kind of disordered cease, violence stop and conflict end?  Someday, I wish the time to come that all great, powerful, and influential leaders in our country or our world will become pacifist, peace-loving, stop the exhibition of power and forces for the world supremacy, abjure the ambition to become the world's number one, occupation to smaller nations, and profiting out of war.  For us ordinary citizens, we need to pray to God during this time of war.  Because small people, the marginalized in the society, we the bottommost of our country, our life depends on the hands of these leaders, whether we want to foster peace but there is nothing we can do if our leaders want to declare war.