Thursday, August 15, 2013

Basilan

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Originally written in Facebook on Aug. 9







When you finally arrive, sometimes you discover everything you know about a place is both true and false at once.

Don't tell my mom I went to Basilan, the stronghold of the terrorist group Abu Sayyaf. The last frontier, where only the bold and reckless will go.

Today my friend and I visited a military camp and spoke to soldiers who just had an encounter with the Abu Sayyaf. One of the troops was killed in the firefight. We heard of places like Al-Barka, traveled to Lamitan from Isabela with an army escort. We spoke to local government officials, businessmen.

Peace and order, everyone's screaming for it, dying for it. Some are hopeful about the peace negotiations with the Muslim rebel group MILF and the creation of the Bangsamoro land envisioned to establish peace. Others aren't so. Bangsamoro, ARMM referring to the : they're all the same, one of them said.

"So there is no hope for change?" I ask him.

"No", he says. "They're all crooks. What matters is: they're my crooks."
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2 comments:

gillboard said...

take care.

Mamon said...

parepareho lang nga sila. yung mga ayaw ng negotiations, gagawa ng sariling group. pero sila-sila rin yun.

ingat lagi