“LORD, grant us peace in our time.”
A few days ago, I was talking to a parent of a policewoman married to a fellow PNP (Philippine National Police). As the talk progressed I asked her about her opinion on martial law and her response astounded me. She said “wala lang, pareho lang iyan.” This then became a longer discussion.
How could parents say “it’s okay, it’s all the same” when the lives of our children and the peace keeping force are already resigned to dying for so others will live in peace. Why are we not the first ones to pray for peace, sobriety and understanding when armed conflict happen or threaten lives of people specially our loved ones?
For these recent years, we have buried nephews, who died in the line of duty in Mindanao. It is well known that the first to be sent to Mindanao were the Cordilleran, since Marcos time, since martial law days. The Cordilleran by nature are considered warrior, and play by the rules of war.
Our past of observing the Pechen/ Bodong/Vochong the protection of property and life has been part of our history. The value of community life of ugogbo/binadang/urur di umili and the like is part of the qualities that is analogous to team work, to military cohesion and “no man left behind.” This innate nature of the Cordilleran makes them the outstanding fighting man for our country. One of the first to die in the Malawi encounter was a Cordilleran, the man to survive the Masasapano massacre was a Cordilleran. But I will continue to remember that one of the Cordilleran fighters, who died in Zamboanga was my nephew. Even so, more of the members of our family both my father Galo’s side and mother
Maria’s side are out there fighting. Some have gone ahead but it will not be the end.
How could we be so callous when it comes to the lives taken during war? That in war, there are many violations of human rights as lives are taken. Torture seems to be ever present in times of violent conflict. In times of military rule like martial law or revolutionary government is the presence of military abuse. And history will repeat itself, when the military men or families of victims get trauma and bad karma. Some, most specially the killers and the living victims will not be able to psychologically accept the violence or the abuse of power.
The PTSD (posttraumatic stress disorder), mental imbalance and similar psychological problems have become more prevalent as a result of violence and military abuse.
Now that martial law is declared in Mindanao there is military abuse, who can say that the Filipino fighter is a saint and an exception to the very nature of martial law which is violence.
The very nature or martial law that gives the armed forces the law above the civilians, for we have allowed civil law or democracy is replaced with military force.
Now, I can say that in my lifetime I will experience two martial laws. Right after the Filipino toppled down former President Marcos and martial law in 1986 and people rejoiced because finally there is democracy led by a woman President Cory. There is now perceived lawlessness that President Duterte has been raring to declare Martial Law or have a Revolutionary government. Its thirty one years (31) of peacetime are we now in a warzone so that civilian law is subsumed inferior to the combatants. Even with the threats of more lawlessness, a lot of families of the members of the armed forces are happy; the ordinary people in the street are cheering the declaration of martial law on one hand, while the people of the other hand gnash their teeth with condemnation. For us who experienced martial law in the past, we kneel and pray for victims and for peace.