Tuesday, August 21, 2007 Malilong: Dying for a cause By Frank Malilong The Other Side
THE bishop of Basilan is right: violent death is terrible and we should, like the good bishop, all feel sad, angry and frustrated especially when we see it happen in large numbers and on a regular basis. But we should not dishonor the memory of the dead soldiers by saying that their death was senseless and without a purpose because they all died for a cause.
They died so that we can all live in peace; so that the Fr. Bossis can go about carrying their evangelical mission without fear of being kidnapped.
It is easy and convenient for the Association of Major Religious Superiors in the Philippines (AMRSP) to condemn the government’s handling of the situation in Ba-silan and Jolo. But what do they propose the government should do? Leave the bandits alone until they get tired of murdering, raping and kidnapping?
Unless the AMRSP can give the assurance that these lawless elements will come down from the mountain and lay down their arms on their own accord, the armed forces have to pursue them wherever they are and whatever it takes until they are taken into custody. That is their sworn duty. So what is wrong with that?
The AMRSP, the Inquirer reported yesterday, asked the government to “persevere in its resolve to continue dialogue and peace negotiations despite the pressure for revenge.” Say that again?
How can you have a dialogue with a party that has not only consistently shown contempt for the right to live peacefully but is elusive and unreachable?
Instead of condemning the government’s “violent response” to the depredations of the Abu Sayyaf, shouldn’t the Catholic priests and bishops use their moral influence to convince the bandits and their backers to come to the negotiating table?
Or is the AMRSP merely trying to cover up for the failure of the Church to foster a society that is God-fearing? Aren’t the abhorrent acts that the group condemns not a reflection of the inadequacies of the Church in molding the character of her people?
Death diminishes us all, that is true. But not all deaths are unnecessary, not even the violent ones. Jesus bled to death on the cross for a purpose.
Many soldiers have already died and many more may die, too. We will grieve and feel angry and frustrated. But we can do more than that. We can and should honor their memory by looking at their death, not as a salute to violence, as the AMRSP obviously views it, but as a sacrifice in the altar of freedom.
