It was quite dismaying and irresponsible for columnist Ramon Farolan to suggest a “switch to Kalashnikovs” (Opinion, 11/7/16).
It really does not matter if our country can even get the small machine guns cheaper elsewhere. What we have to ask ourselves is: Where will these instruments of death be used?
According to Police Director General Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa, it will be used to fight terrorists. Fair enough, so who are the terrorists? If he is talking about the terrorists of the Moro National Liberation Front, Moro Islamic Liberation Front, Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters and the Abu Sayyaf, then the people responsible for that fight are in the military.
In the same Inquirer issue, a German national was reportedly kidnapped after his companion was killed. A story the previous week reported that top MNLF boss Nur Misuari was in Malacañang.
So if the purpose of these arms purchase is really to fight terrorists, maybe the Filipino nation, as “educated” by our past colonial masters, must ask: Why did these terrorists become terrorists in the first place? After all, they are
Filipinos, too, according to our Constitution. Maybe the state is the terrorist. Maybe the nation has failed them, the Moro people.
For the longest time, the Moro people are still looked upon and treated as “the other,” different from secular and “Christian” Filipinos. Maybe it’s time the Filipino nation held a special plebiscite for the Moro people and ask them pointblank, if they really want to be part of this nation.
If what they want is a caliphate completely governed by Sharia laws, etc., their caliphate will ultimately be incompatible with secular Christian principles.
Like the song by English artist Sting proposes, “…if you love someone, set them free…”
JOSE SANTAMARIA, j_e_santamaria@hotmail.com