Mindanao is a beautiful place, a place blessed with a rich culture, bountiful nature and a wonderful people. Before, I would refuse to vacation with my mother in her hometown in Mindanao because news of local terrorists, abductions, killings and bombings scared me.
When I finally agreed to go there after I graduated from college for a vacation, I was amazed by the beauty of the place and by the hospitality and friendliness of the people there. I enjoyed their company and they spent a lot of time with me until I came back to Manila. My mother’s hometown is one of the happiest and most memorable places I’ve been to.
My impression of Mindanao was wrong. It’s not as dangerous as the Abu Sayyaf had made it appear in the media with its abductions. It is in fact one of the most beautiful places that have captured my heart, perhaps forever.
Let’s not succumb to the fear with which the Abu Sayyaf would like to chain us. Let’s support our government in its fight against terrorism so that we can live in peace. We now have a government that is determined to eliminate with an iron hand the barbaric Abu Sayyaf cowards. Let’s unite against terrorism most especially for the sake of our nation.
—JESSIE F. PINDON, pindonjess.05@gmail.com