A few years ago, when 10 Marines were killed, with some of them beheaded, the nation mourned. This happened in Mindanao. Very recently, seven other Marines were killed, with two of them beheaded, and this happened also in Mindanao.
These two incidents affirm in our minds that the Abu Sayyaf members are very ruthless. They don’t just kill. They also desecrate the human body.
Where all this anger and brutality come from we don’t know. No sane man will be able to fathom what drives these bandits to do what they did. So, as we pray for the Marines, their widows and orphans, let us likewise pray hard for the Abu Sayyaf bandits that they be enlightened—to change their ways, to learn to love their enemies, to be also forgiving, to call attention to their issues and concerns without hurting anyone, to follow the teachings of their religion.
This is what we have to do amid the grief and sadness that have enveloped our nation once again. We thank the Lord for giving our soldiers the courage and strength to perform their duties without fail, and without fear. But we grieve too that human rights groups have chosen to keep silent about this atrocity.
—SETH S. SILLONA,
sethsillona@yahoo.com