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Saturday, August 05, 2006
Roperos: Elusive peace
By Godofredo M. Roperos
Politics Also
This republic has never really enjoyed genuine peace.
From the time Philippine independence was just being contemplated on, talked about, or debated upon in the 1930s until it became a Commonwealth in 1935 and truly independent in July, 1946, there were always pockets of armed conflicts in many of its parts. Except, of course, during World War II when the conflict raged in the whole archipelago.
The Sakdalista uprising disrupted our peaceful March towards a commonwealth status. Then World War II erupted and rent asunder our lives for well over four years. When it was over, remnants of the Hukbong Bayan Laban sa Hapon launched the communist Huk movement and fomented trouble in Luzon.
On top of the leftist problem, there were also the Muslim separatist movements. Up to this day, the Muslim problem has remained a thorn on the side of the republic. Finally, we have the unabated political killings being perpetrated almost all over the country by unidentified people.
Thus, President Arroyo’s order for law enforcers to solve or stop the political killings within ten weeks seems impossible to do. Because the killings started as early as 2001, that makes the presidential fiat somehow sound like a great joke, although, coming from no less than the President, it is a serious order.
Indeed, the killings have alarmed concerned citizens and civic leaders. The victims, many of them from the media, were vocal against public officials believed to be misbehaving, including the President. In fact, her all out war against graft and corruption was most welcomed by the people, but with their tongue in cheek about its success.
There was this report a few days ago regarding the result of a survey by the Ibon Foundation that said that majority of the Filipinos believe the military and the police have a hand in the political killings. Of course, a big percentage also believed “the Communist Party of the Philippines/New People’s Army and other rebel groups were the culprits.
The survey, conducted from June 28 to July 7, used a multi-stage random sampling and covered 1,487 respondents. It was probably an inkling of the results of the Ibon survey that may have triggered the presidential order giving “a 10-week deadline for law enforcers to produce results on the unabated political killings.”
But peremptorily setting a deadline for such a serious undertaking could be easier said than satisfactorily accomplished. In fact, the Palace itself can only say it will try to do its best to resolve the cases.
Our long-drawn pursuit for peace ought to come to a head soon. This quest has become part of a traditional list of problems each administration inherits from the preceding one.
But no president yet, since this nation won its independence in 1946 vowing to pursue peace with determination, has ever succeeded. Right now, genuine peace in this republic is like a will-o’-the-wisp, becoming more difficult to pursue.
For Bisaya stories from Cebu. Click here. (August 5, 2006 issue)
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