Zamboanga City crisis: The winners and losers

Hard times shape character. The Zamboanga City uprising was one such hard time.

 

The Losers

The losers lost big. Here they are:

 

*The people who lost their lives and the families left with deep grief.  Tragic. Deaths: 14 soldiers, 3 policemen, 12 civilians, and 103 rebels. The injured. 138 soldiers, 13 policemen, and 69 civilians. (Source: Inquirer, as of 9/24/2013)
 

*Zamboangan residents, business owners and workers who lost homes, businesses and jobs. 
 

*Nur Misuari and his fighters, who lost lives, a battle, and respect. They are now common criminals. 
 

*Vice President Jejomar Binay, for going outside the chain of command and elevating Misuari to a higher level of respect than he deserved. 

 

Such a waste. This is what rebels deal. Extortion. Pain. Fear.

 

NPA rebels, the same. They are destructive in the areas where they operate. Local residents need to come to grips with this. The national government is not injured by these gangsters. Neighbors are. Local support of the gangsters needs to stop. Local residents and authorities need to join the hunt.

 

Extortionists destroy in order to stay in business. To keep the threat active, alive, real. Make no mistake. The Zamboangan rebels are not religious people. They carry no message of peace and salvation to the masses.

 

These are losers, thugs, malcontents. Extortionists.

 

The Winners

 

There were also three big winners. They will stake no claim, raise no cheer. It was not that kind of arena. But make no mistake here, either. They won big time.

 

*President Aquino 

*Moderate Muslims 

*The Armed Forces of the Philippines, PNP and local law enforcement 

 

President Aquino

 

President Aquino is a detail man. He knew this was a complicated scene. Muslims and Catholics, local residents and rebels, local government officials, police and armed forces. They were joined in a chaotic battle situation with hostages and death. President Aquino went on-scene to make sure there was no question as to who was in charge and what the outcome would be. He neither gloated nor complained. He turned into a private man, a working man. He laid down the law: these are criminal acts that have nothing to do with the Muslim peace agreement. And we do NOT grant free passage in exchange for a cease fire.

 

Is there any question who made that decision? Who was willing to carry the burden if 100 hostages were executed?

 

Now you may think this is easy. You may be like the Rappler editors who believed they should be put in charge of negotiating the release of hostages. You may be able to judge Secretary Roxas as effective or ineffective. I can’t, and I’d venture that such a judgment would be more a statement of someone’s preconceived bias than fact arising during the conflict.

Face it, we have little idea about what went on there. When people met, what they discussed, who lost their temper, who came up with the battle tactics. No idea whatsoever. The Rappler editors may stand by their story (that a surrender was refused and release of hostages “blown” by police officials), but their story is only a snippet of a tense situation where no quarter was given by law enforcement. And properly so.

 

Who are we, keyboard in one hand and glass of wine in the other, to second guess sincere people doing their best in a situation made in Hell?

 

Without question, President Aquino won big time. For his courage, for his determined work. For the rule of law in a dangerous situation that could easily have been misread by Muslims elsewhere. President Aquino granted Muslims honor by attending to this mess, on-scene, personally. He preserved the peace agreement that promises economic rehabilitation of this impoverished region.

 

The Moderate Muslims

 

I’ve come to the conclusion that Filipino Muslim leaders are different than Middle East Muslim leaders. More like American or European Muslims. Or, perhaps, this is just the current crop who have invested so much in working on an honest, honorable peace agreement. I don’t know. Maybe I’m just wishing?

 

But, I like what I see.

 

Moderate Muslims did not use the uprising to wail about their plight and the offenses of the Philippine government. They criticized the rebels.

 

This is something that HAS to happen if Mindanao and its neighboring islands are to find peace and economic revival. Muslims have to start controlling their extremist elements. Not assign this task to the national government, then jump into the fray for political gain.

 

As they do this, they gain the respect of the nation. They win.

 

The Good Guys: Military, Police, Local Officials
 

Words are insufficient to give credit and thanks to people who face the bullets. We see the photographs and look on with removed amusement at guys creeping forward behind armored personnel carriers. We don’t hear the explosions or whisper of bullets or thudding or screams or see the blood and carnage. We don’t smell the gunpowder or smoke or death or feel the charge of adrenalin surging to try to help keep us alive.

 

No, no. These troops do that for us. I for one am immensely appreciative of their efforts, bravery and sacrifices.

 

The Losers, Revisited

 

The physical losses were horrendous. Too many deaths and injuries. Ruined lives. Too much damage. Too much pain.

 

President Aquino has announced a multi-billion peso reconstruction project for Zamboanga City. The physical buildings will return, and so will productive commerce. Time will heal.

 

The extremist gangsters lost. As did the Sultan before. As did the self-glorified rebel chief, Nur Misuari. As will those factions or sects or clans or warlords or governors or mayors  or military cliques who would set themselves up as greater than the Philippines. If they push their power, if they push their luck, if they push their ego, at risk to Filipinos, they deserve to lose.

 

No, no. This is not a banana republic Philippines, subject to the whims and ways of egos, mighty and large.

 

Vice President Binay would do well to reflect on that, and subjugate his ego and his will to the well-being of the nation rather than his political aspirations.

 

This is one nation, sovereign, connected, and heading directly down the straight path.

 

Correction. Correction.

 

Heading directly UP the straight path.  – KDM, GMA News 
 

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Joe America is a blogger who writes about the cross-cultural experiences and observations of an American living in the Philippines. He is based in Biliran Island. This piece originally appeared in his blog on September 27. We are re-posting it here with his permission.