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Saturday, October 18, 2008
Central Mindanao children: Let peace reign
MIDSAYAP, North Cotabato -- Muslim and Christian children affected by war in Mindanao renewed their call for peace Friday and hoped their pleas this time will not fall on deaf ears.
"We want peace. We really want peace," said 12-year-old Noraisa Kusa in the vernacular during the launching Friday of the Sports for Peace program at the Notre Dame of Midsayap College (NDMC) here.
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The Sports for Peace, a brainchild of Philippine Sports Commission (PSC) chairman William "Butch" Ramirez, is designed to get internally displaced children in North Cotabato and Maguindanao involved in sports. It also hopes to have them undergo counseling.
Kusa, a Muslim girl from Rangaban, Midsayap and one of the 200 participants in the four-day program, which commenced Friday, said she is tired of fleeing their home every time war breaks out.
"It's really very tiring. We children have been affected," Kusa said, adding that hearing gunshots have become a daily occurrence for her and her family in Midsayap.
But Kusa is very excited to participate in the sports activity.
"I play softball," Kusa said with a smile.
Analyn Maganod, another kid who is traumatized by war, said she is competing with Kusa in softball and hopes to play well during the competition, as she wants to momentarily forget her sad experience.
"They say we will be playing so this is the reason why we are here," said the 13-year-old Maganod, a shy Muslim girl.
Two 15-year-old boys -- Melfred Dumapig of Pagangan in Aleosan and Roland Intes of Nalapaan in Pikit town -- seemed to be in a jolly mood while having dinner with other Muslim children Thursday and they both expressed their desire to become good basketball players some day. Both are Christians.
When the discussion turned to the armed conflict, both Dumapig and Intes expressions changed.
"I hate war. We always go the evacuation centers. Some people even carry with them their infants," recalls Dumapig in the vernacular.
Intes said he even saw one of their neighbors being shot and killed, but he couldn't say who the perpetrators are.
Several months ago, about 200 families from a remote village in Aleosan fled to safer grounds after government forces and Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) fighters engaged in a heavy firefight.
"We can hear gun fires and we're really afraid," Intes said.
PSC chairman Ramirez said he understands the plight of the war-affected children and this is the main reason he took the risk of traveling all the way from Manila to the conflict area to intervene. He brought along with him Karen Trinidad of the Philippine Center for Sports Medicine, a psychologist, and some coaches from Davao City to give clinics.
"We are using sports as a vehicle for peace," he said.
One participant, 12-year-old RR Tabifanco of Baliki, Midsayap, said he is playing basketball and idolizes American-basketball star Michael Jordan.
Tabifanco and the rest of the children participating in the Sports for Peace could now go on and show their skills throughout the duration of the program, momentarily forgetting their sad plight.
Meanwhile, the government troops said they inflicted heavy casualties among Moro rebels as they pursued guerrilla commanders blamed for a flare-up of violence in several towns and villages in Mindanao.
No bodies, however, were found after the air strikes.
Military spokesman Major Randolph Cabangbang said at least 13 MILF rebels were believed killed in Thursday's air strikes in Andavit village in southern Maguindanao province, where troops overran several rebel positions.
But he said the rebels had already left the camp when troops arrived and no bodies were recovered.
Rebel spokesman Eid Kabalu denied any casualties, calling the reports "military propaganda." (CRAM/With AP/Sunnex)
For more Philippine news, visit Sun.Star Zamboanga. (October 18, 2008 issue)
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