Whose enemies or friends?

One wonders whether the authorities in Manila know who they’re dealing with in Mindanao. Are they dealing with enemies or friends? And whose enemies, whose friends? How do they define enemy or friend?

These are important questions in light of unseemly events that keep happening but don’t get resolved to anyone’s satisfaction. In Surigao del Norte last week, for instance, when the workplaces of people in three barangays of Claver town were torched, was the destruction done by their enemies or their friends?

In investigating such incidents, do the Manila officials check where the loyalty of local officials or residents lie? What if, as often claimed in guerrilla-infested areas, the officials are in league with the raiders? What if some or most of the local people are sympathetic to the rebels and abet extortion?

Shouldn’t we heal the weaknesses or the fissures in our communities that enable anarchy and rebelliousness to thrive?

These are important questions for affected constituencies, especially in far-flung Mindanao where the only thing that seems clear is the freedom of marauders to move around and terrorize innocents at will.

Neither government nor media reports on the incidents last week made mention of what the local officials did—or where they were before, during and after the disruptions. Only the top guns from Manila and the provincial capitol got coverage. Are they dealing with the enemy there or is the destruction just collateral damage from labor unrest, friendly fire or mis-encounter? No mention even of tension in the affected barangays, let alone questions of loyalty or betrayal, heroes or villains, friends or enemies. These matters matter in a time of uncertainty and confusion, which is practically every day in Mindanao today.

Let’s face it, there is uncertainty and confusion in a great part of our society, not just in Mindanao. Dealing with the enemies—especially enemies masquerading as friends—is a deadly affair. And it should not be left to grandstanding officials to resolve, let alone traditional politicos, or trapos.

Trapos have been in charge for so long and all we get are more  holdups, raids, bombings, arsons, kidnappings and ransom-demands. Even grandstanding military and police officials do not calm our nerves, nor assuage our fears, let alone prevent violence and mayhem. It seems that the more we increase military and police budgets—or even barangay, city, municipal, or provincial budgets—the more security problems crop up and the more threats arise. Even the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office spends millions for intelligence, but jueteng, masiao and all kinds of gambling go on. So much expense for so little good.

We really should clarify this business of who is the enemy or friend of our society—and be decisive about what to do with either.

—MANNY VALDEHUESA,

national convenor,

Gising Barangay Movement Inc.,

[email protected]