REBUILDING MARAWI

The war is over.  After almost five long months of bloody pursuit of militants in terrorizing the southern city of Marawi, the damaging war has come to end.  The Marawi crisis has ended.   The terrorists forcibly occupied Marawi’s vital establishments, shed fears on Maranao and challenged the sovereignty of the Filipino people.  The armed forces have no other recourse but to wage war to save the city against rebellion and invasion.

The days and nights of non-stop exchange of gunfire, loud explosions and successive missiles burned the city.  The city was destroyed, properties were damaged, livelihoods gone and lives were lost.  The bandits capitalized their captivities as human shields, tested to provoke the security of the hostages and used the sacred mosques to their advantage.  But the great soldiers, the defender of people, vowed to defeat the militants.  The outlaws can force their radical ideology, use sensational brutality and unfair attacks but at the end of the day, the evil will not win over the righteousness.  After the tiring days, the Marawi siege has come to end.  Marawi that served the battle field of war has finally liberated from destructive occupation of terrorist group. 

Liberating Marawi from terror was not an easy struggle.  Declaring the martial law helped the area to control the situation, narrow down the threat of another terrorism that hounds the people and slim down the terrorist’s world.  The five long months tortured the locals of Marawi who were trapped between the clash of military and rebels, lived the depressing situation in evacuation centers, or flew away to escape the war zone.  For the neighboring and people of Marawi, the war has just brought an unforgettable traumatic and violent experience that every living survivor of the war will remember.  The countless fear, the terrifying sounds of gun and bombs, the cries of babies and elders and the painful and hard times of escapes, it was nightmare and tough test for every Maranaos. The thick dark smoke above Marawi will vanish but the wound it leaves will take time to heal.

The war is over and Marawi is burned.  Looking at the sad fate of the city, no one really won in this fight.  After the civil war, there are greater responsibilities that we need to fill up.  Let’s stop argument in social media by echoing what is right, finger pointing who is the best and who is to blame, let’s fix it later.  It will not help.  Marawi doesn’t need your intelligent analysis and genius mind.  What we need from everyone is our unity as Filipino.  This is the time to set aside social rivalry, political identity, spiritual difference and personal agenda and come up altogether to stand up with right resolution, full determination and warm nationalism in restoring Marawi.  It is critical time, if we do not unite today, then we cannot really have that elusive unity.  This is not the time to grandstanding.  Stop politicizing Marawi by spreading fake news just to taint and denounce the oppositions and uplift the political group you belong.  Stop using Marawi to launch your personal interest.  Have self-respect, be sensitive. 

Thanks for the soldiers who risked their lives in neutralizing the battle field.  They are the true heroes of Marawi crisis, selflessly fought the freedom of the city, risked their lives and unconditionally served the country.  The embattled city needs us.  Let us show our natural spirit of cooperation.  Let us rehabilitate, reconstruct and rebuild Marawi for every human breath, for every living and for every hope.  Let us restore the city known for artwork, weaving, wood and metal crafts and epic literature.  Let us show again to the whole world our Filipino resilience by showing how to rebuild Marawi from ashes of war to towering new city.