Father Giancarlo Bossi
AFTER 40 days of captivity Father Giancarlo Bossi is finally free. It was such a relief to see him, gaunt as he was and obviously tired and stressed, at the press conference organized by government. Poor Father Bossi! My heart went out to him as I watched him control his emotions. Could the government not give him time to recover from his ordeal before exhibiting him to media?I can’t wait for Father Bossi to tell us his story. His kidnapping has been blamed on the Abu Sayyaf, the Moro Islamic Liberation Front, a rogue MILF commander, and on criminal kidnap thugs. Early on, there was the story that his kidnap was intended to discredit the provincial governor of Sibugay who had refused to give in to the demand of criminals for a pay-off during the campaign period. So many questions need to be answered.
How does the horrendous mutilation of the marines killed in a firefight in Basilan a couple of weeks ago figure in the Father Bossi case? One story attributed the firefight to the marines entering MILF territory in Basilan, while searching for Father Bossi. Another blames the encounter on the gruesome murder of a local imam, old and no threat to anyone. The locals blamed the military for his murder.
Whether the cause was the death of the imam or the search for Father Bossi, it is not so much the killing of the marines that has raised the hackles of the public but the mutilation of the dead. Many soldiers have been killed in encounters over the past years but these have been accepted as consequences of the war on terror or the campaign against lawless elements. It was the gruesome discovery of the mutilated marines that jolted several leaders and media personalities to call for a resumption of the all out war policy against the MILF, a demand to junk the peace process.
Before we jump into conclusions that could derail an already stalled peace process, we really ought to find out what happened. Understand that, under Islamic law in several countries, criminals can be executed by decapitation. Gruesome as it is, death penalty by decapitation or by electrocution or by lethal injection has the same result: death. However, the dead must be treated with respect. Mutilation of the dead is unacceptable, in Islam or in other faiths. The locals cannot believe that Moro mujahideen or warriors would commit such an un-Islamic act. The locals fear that the mutilation of the dead marines is part of a scenario crafted for political reasons.
Forgive me for speculating but the timing is so suspicious. The Antiterror Law (I can’t bring myself to call it the Human Security Act) was to take effect a few days after the discovery of the dead. The anger over the mutilated soldiers was enough to convince many that the Antiterror Law was indeed necessary.
Tomorrow, President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo will deliver her State of the Nation address. Father Bossi will most likely be Exhibit A to show her administration’s resolve and success in fighting the war on terror. As DILG Secretary Puno has confidently proclaimed, the government will pursue the terrorists and, never having given in to demands for ransom in the past, will not give in now. (I suppose propagandists stick by the rule that if you say it often enough, people will believe you.)
On the SONA: I have learned to treat the SONA as propaganda, thus preventing me from taking the promises made too seriously. However, since sound bytes are essential, here are some promises we would like to hear:
• Promise support for peace processes
• Promise to protect human rights as the Antiterror Law is being implemented
• Promise to support the recommendations of the Summit on Extrajudicial Killings
• Promise to educate our young
• Promise to give Mindanao and ARMM full support for economic development
• Promise to solve the energy problem
• And the biggest promise of all: an end to corruption
In the meantime, I promise to buy my two sons and my daughter BMWs for their birthdays. (Sure, Mom…)
