I'm tired of broken promises. When will the land stop being tainted crimson by useless bloodshed?
I'm tired of all the red alerts. When will the people find the security they need to find in the harmony of living together?
I love Basilan and all of Mindanao because I was born and raised here. Many times have I felt like the Virgin Mary as all the terrorism and acts of unnecessary evil that happen in the land I so loved are knives that pierced my heart cruelly.
Yes, I am young and you may disregard this voice of mine because of the distance of our ages. But I still beg you, try to look the situation in my eyes, the viewpoint of a child longing for peace. Do not just look at the statistics of the events, go straight to the feelings that we - the people who are suffering from them - are feeling.
It's more than the laws, more than the regulations, and even more than the rules that you can impose in our land just as you, elders of mine, are responsible for. You are responsible for more than fulfilling the social contract that was made effective the moment the people here elected you to your posts.
You are responsible for caring for our situation here because we are Filipino citizens as much as you are. Do not be so insensitive as to give a slight glance to our problems here in Mindanao then turn your backs again to focus on the North.
More than all the publicity the news of the fatal acts of violence are receiving, show us the COMPASSION and CARE of a family. We are all brothers and sisters here, no matter how we differ in religion, color, tribe or language. CARE FOR US HERE!
Do not simply make the historical narrative of the grieving Mindanao forgotten through the course of all the legislation, policy-making, and programs that the government is doing and revolving around its administrations.
Do not forget all the lives that were torn from this world due to the battle for a land that was meant to be shared in harmony by peace-loving people. Every day, we Mindanawons CRY FOR JUSTICE. I cry for all the cases and events of sadistic violence that were left unsolved until now.
Desaparesido el Hustisya! Mindanao cries for all its people who died senselessly - the Maguindanao Massacre where 54 people were sent to the afterlife in a brutal and inhumane manner and so much more similar cases such as these.
PLEASE DO NOT FORGET ABOUT US HERE!
Forget not the soldiers who died in the countless battles and wars that littered blood all over the land. Forget them not for their sacrifice is priceless.
Forget not the priests, the religious men and women whose heads and bodies lost breaths and life because of the grave suffering they endured under the violence of a land that should have been an open ground for discourse and religious freedom. Forget them not for their souls brim with the purity of love for this land and the Almighty God.
Forget not the teachers whose lives are often wrought in fear for kidnapping, rape and other heinous acts which is the ingratitude for all the sacrifices they made in order for Mindanawons to have a brighter future through education. Forget them not for the lessons they imparted to the children of Mindanao are treasures that cannot be contained in a bottle.
Forget not the businessmen and businesswomen whose lives were tainted by the violence, costing them their lifeblood and livelihood. Forget them not for their sacrifices for the progress of the land is immeasurable by even the best technological counting devices.
Forget not all the nameless people who suffered from the terror and fear of being in their own homeland. Forget them not for their lives are etched in the land forever. Their immeasurable sacrifices is etched in the very fabric of existence in Mindanao.
FORGET NOT MINDANAO!
