Just like an octopus with tentacles spanning the length and breadth of the deep blue sea, the terrorist problem in the country is growing rapidly and must be contained before it is too wide spread to stop. After all, that is the goal of many, if not all, terrorist groups, to keep growing faster and faster and farther and farther until it is impossible to quash their rebellion. That is why terrorist groups recruit all over the world and why they want to establish strongholds in far flung regions. It’s not just because they just want more followers or because they have saturated recruitment near home. It is because they want to be present everywhere all the time and make it that much harder to track them down and stop them.
That is what is currently happening in Marawi in Mindanao. It’s no longer just Maute and Abu Sayyaf terrorists who are razing the city and the citizens, but reports say several foreign jihadists and potentially members of ISIS have also joined them. According to the administration, the goal of the group is to take over the city and eventually the entire Mindanao to set up a terrorist caliphate. That is, of course, worst-case scenario, but it is something that we need to consider now before it’s too late. After all, we have always been reactionary and this time I think it’s important for us to be a step ahead instead of a step behind.
Which is what I believe the administration is doing. It is due to this terror and high threat alert that President Duterte has been forced to declare martial law in Mindanao. And while this alarmed many, I think it was right decision for him to make at the moment. It’s understandable why people are scared. Obviously martial law is not something that went over well last time. But I think we have to try to see it for what it can do in the current situation and, of course, be vigilant about setting parameters and boundaries.
Many don’t understand why the president would need to enforce martial law in all of Mindanao when the city of Marawi is still technically such a small part of the entire region, but I believe it was the right choice because terror spreads very quickly and there are terrorist sympathizers all over Mindanao who may be easily enjoined to join the fray quickly once it escalates. It’s important to quell the rebellion firmly and decisively from the beginning. In this particular instance I feel that if we take too long it will be too little too late.
I have read so many dissenting opinions and it’s actually quite disheartening. If you look at the news we seem to be one of the few countries that can’t unite in times of crisis. When terrorist attacks rocked Manchester and even Paris and other countries in the past five years the first thing the citizens did was to unite against the common enemy that was threatening them. Here, all we seem to be able to do is argue. Whether it’s arguing about the veracity of the reports to arguing about the breadth and scope of martial law, we can’t seem to get on the same page even though what is happening right now in Marawi should and could very well affect us all.
We currently need to set aside our political affiliations and see the enemy that is in front of us. There will be enough time for bureaucracy and fighting when this is all done. For now though the immediate threat is the growing terror in the country and that is where everyone’s focus and efforts should remain. I believe martial law right now is necessary and the president just did what he felt he had to do to stop the ever growing threat.
And meanwhile what can we, as citizens, do to help? There are many things, but on the top of the list is we can stop our bickering amongst ourselves. We spend so much time arguing and assuming the worst that we have done nothing but get ourselves all worked up. Granted we should remain vigilant over everything – after all we are the watch guards of democracy and freedom – but we should also not allow this vigilance to make us counterproductive. I think there are several ways we can help the situation and the first and most important is to be more cognizant of what we say and what we share on all platforms.
I read another piece online that said ultimately the goal of any terrorist group is to spread terror. This new age of social media has made that so much easier for them. They can spread their videos and their messages so much quicker now that everyone is picking them up on Twitter and Facebook and the like and sharing them quicker than you can say “viral.” I believe we should stop helping terrorists achieve their goal by spreading terror propaganda like beheading videos and executions and the like. First of all, why in the world would netizens think that is okay to share a video of someone being killed? And second, the more widespread these types of videos become the easier it is for the terrorists to reach more people whether it be to scare them or recruit them.
We all have a lot of power at our fingertips (and our keyboards) and it’s time we utilize this by doing proactive things. We can share legitimate news, share any news about safety zones and help lines, as well as share information on how to make donations for our many brothers and sisters who have fled Marawi and are in need of our help. These are just a few of the more proactive things we can do while the conflict is ongoing. And of course, we can pray too. We can all pray for the safety of our soldiers and those in the conflict-ridden areas. In general, I believe we need to channel our energies in more positive directions and hope for a swift resolution.
The president certainly has a lot on his hands at the moment. And I can’t help but feel in a way that I am grateful that our current president is not a stranger to solving conflict because he will need to be tough if he wants to get on top of this. I truly hope that he can fulfill his goal of ending the conflict within 60 days. It saddens me so much to continue seeing the causalities rising in the conflict zone we should all continue to think about our fellow citizens who are caught in the crossfire and our soldiers who are going into battle for us. Let’s not belittle their sacrifices.