Wednesday, January 17, 2007 Rebollido: Disturbing sounds By Rommel G. Rebollido Open Card
THREE cities in Region 12 met 2007 with the loudest bang last January 10. It did not drive away evil as what fireworks intend to do every New Year. Evil was in those successive explosions last Wednesday.
The explosions in General Santos, Kidapawan and Cotabato killed seven people and injured more than 30 others. The bomb claimed more victims in General Santos.
The blast lasted a quick split second, but it left several disturbing sounds that may forever resonate among residents and on the economy of the city supposedly known as the boomtown of the south.
Amid the noise of a post blast scene emerged the wailing of a child, calling on his "Kuya!" who lay on the pavement, bloodied all over, trying to move himself up.
The 11-year-old Kuya later expired while being treated at a hospital. The younger sibling just kept on wailing "Kuya" until he fell asleep.
His cries were among the many sounds after the bomb explosion that night. Sounds that are seldom heard because of bigger voices that tend to muffle it down in order not to create disturbance.
--ooo--
Late that night on television, Cebu officials quickly made statements isolating the incidents to Mindanao, short of saying that bombing is a monopoly of the island.
We can understand why they have to talk such, of course. Cebu is hosting the Association of Southeast Asia Nations Summit and they are about to celebrate Sinulog, two major events that could again boost revenues to that place.
But, it is just noticeable in the eyes of those officials that they are frantically trying to assure visitors and delegates that Cebu is safely too far from bomb-riddled General Santos.
Their actions could readily translate as saying, stay in Cebu do not wander to Mindanao.
Those Cebu officials were so frantic that they seemingly forgot the sensibilities of Mindanaoans.
They also forgot, perhaps, that the food (and even water) they have in Cebu comes from Mindanao.
Those officials may also have forgotten that Cebu cannot merely subsist on boneless danggit and otap.
Basin pa unya'g matuk-an madumduman where they stand.
