War in Marawi

Mindanao has been a barren battlefield for several decades since the 1960s. The rapid thumps of footsteps on grass and the succeeding blasts of gunshots are sounds that come in the absence of peace and are feared by the cowering civilians who have already seen too much. Hatred and miscommunication kill government security forces and notorious rebels alike.

This time, terror struck Marawi, Lanao del Sur on the afternoon of May 23. It has been two months and four days ever since the Armed Forces of the Philippines and the Philippine National Police lay siege against the 500-700 militants of the Maute Group, Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL)-affiliated Abu Sayyaf, and the Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters (BIFF). So far, there are 14 civilian deaths, 453 terrorists and 109 soldiers.

The war in Marawi disheartens me because it seems like peace is a far-fetched dream for Mindanao and violence is a rational resort to disagreements instead of diplomatic means. The innocents there have been living in a life where fear prevails instead of happiness. These terrorists are sinister beings who delude themselves into thinking that all these killings will bring them closer to their god. Well, in fact, they are brothers to the devil himself.

It is only just that the Armed Forces defended our motherland. It is unlikely that these militants will lay down their weapons and talk. We could only hope that one day their conscience will overrule their fundamentalism and cease this needless fighting.