Mindanao situation: Far more serious

Somebody close to one of the senators who met with President Duterte last Tuesday night confirmed that the decision to extend martial law in Mindanao up to December 31 this year was not only justified, but “absolutely necessary” to avert the spread of terrorist groups like the Abu Sayyaf, the Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters and the Maute terrorist group.

Let’s face it – Mindanao has always been a major security problem, especially with our porous borders that have made it easy for terrorists and criminals to move around Indonesia, Malaysia and the Southern Philippines via the Sulu-Sulawesi seas. In fact, the Philippines was described a decade ago by the International Crisis Group as the “weakest link in the effort to contain the threat of further terrorist attacks in Southeast Asia by the Jemaah Islamiyah network” – which is why everyone is hopeful that the president’s determination will get rid of this terrorist scourge sooner rather than later.

We recognize the heavy toll that the fighting in Marawi has wrought upon innocent civilians and the kind of sacrifice that our troops our making. According to our source, the president’s request for additional soldiers and police personnel is more than justified considering the presence of ISIS-affiliated foreign terrorists in Marawi City.

Despite the continued fighting, morale among the troops is high not only because of the unrelenting encouragement shown by the president – going around camps and hospitals to visit the wounded, transporting them to hospitals in Manila using the presidential plane and even going to Marawi himself – but also because many Filipinos including the country’s top businessmen are doing their part to help soldiers and boost their morale.

From the simple act of writing letters of encouragement and buying statement shirts to sending “care packages,” the flow of support has been overwhelming. One of those who responded early was Go Negosyo founder and presidential consultant on entrepreneurship Joey Concepcion, who spearheaded the Kapatid for Marawi project that has gathered overwhelming support from some of the country’s top businessmen who sent water, food and other relief goods and items including cellphone load for the troops.

The families of the fallen soldiers and police personnel have not been forgotten, with business groups providing financial help. One of the most laudable initiatives came from business tycoon Andrew Tan who donated P101 million for the families of the 101 “heroes of Marawi.” While “no amount could equal the loss of loved ones” as the president said, the show of support from many Filipinos is appreciated by the families of the slain.

All our allies, most especially the United States, are helping in the fight against terrorism, providing intelligence information and military hardware that include drones and surveillance planes like the Cessna 208B Grand Caravan. US State Secretary Rex Tillerson who is here this weekend will most likely discuss what help is needed to fight the global terrorist scourge. Early on, Secretary Tillerson expressed concern that the ISIS is gaining a foothold in the Philippines, adding that the US is talking with countries such as Australia, Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore and of course the Philippines to partner in fighting extremist groups.

Experts aver that the ISIS has already spread its tentacles in Asia and has set its eyes on the Philippines as the new “wilayat” or province that could serve not only as a training ground but also a sanctuary to militants coming from the Middle East. Undoubtedly, nations in the region must work together to prevent the ISIS network from spreading its deadly ideology of hatred and violence.

Balangiga Bells: For whom do they toll?

President Duterte’s State of the Nation Address (SONA) brought attention to the Balangiga Bells – the significance of which are not known to many Filipinos especially the young ones today.  In September 1901, Filipino guerillas fighting for independence attacked American soldiers stationed in the town of Balangiga in Samar – resulting in the massacre of men, women and children and the burning of the town and the church as retaliation, with allegations that the bells were used to signal the attack. The bells from the San Lorenzo de Martir church were subsequently taken, with two of them now on display at the Warren Air Force Base in Cheyenne, Wyoming while one is in a US camp in South Korea.

It was president Fidel Ramos who first instructed then-Philippine Ambassador to the US Raul Rabe to seek the return of the bells, but resistance was mostly from a small group of war veterans in Wyoming that came up with a local law that prevents the return of the bells, claiming them as spoils of war.

Over the years, many including US veterans and their families have been working for the return of those bells, chief of them retired US Navy Captain Dennis Wright who has lived in the Philippines for many years, and our friend Henry Howard who is offering to make duplicate bells to be displayed in Cheyenne.  Retired general Narcing Abaya also wrote to his former classmate, Senator John Reed (who is in the Committee of Appropriations’ Subcommittee on Military Construction and Veterans Affairs) to seek support for the return of those bells which, in the first place, belong to the church in Balangiga and should not be considered as war booty. Other bells like the one in La Union, Russia and even Japan which was a foe of the US during WW2, were all returned. 

In 1901, the Balangiga bells tolled amid the fighting between American and Filipino soldiers. The return of the bells will toll with the sound of peace and renewed friendship between the Philippines and the US.

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