Innocence broken by gunfire

Innocence broken
By Alberto Vicente/ Aug. 20, 2008

Two weeks ago, we were conducting Participatory Resource Appraisal workshop in one upland barangay of Linamon town in Lanao del Norte.

I would be away for a week so I decided to bring my wife and 4-month old baby with me. We were in a hurry for the first day of workshop, we have to drive directly to the workshop venue, with my research staff and family in tow.

We were welcomed by the barangay Captain with a hand shake, but I cannot but miss the barrel of his chromed .45 caliber pistol protruding from his shirt. I also noticed that sandbags have been placed in the terrace of the second floor of the barangay hall.

I pointed to it, and the barangay captain just smiled and said “red alert.”

In earlier visits to their barangay, I noticed that their barangay hall had thick concrete walls. I was told by the habal-habal driver who was also a CAFGU that the barangay hall was designed that way to withstand the firepower of the MILF. He then recounted to me how they held their line against MILF fighters who tried to come to Linamon and takeover the munisipyo at the same time as the MILF occupied the Kauswagan townhall less than 10 kilometers away from the municipality. They were successful in repulsing that attack, in nearby Kauswagan town, the MILF occupied their townhall for more than 24 hours then.

I was told, armed civilians kept the MILF at bay for more than 4 hours, “Hapit na gud mi mahutdan og bala” said the habal-habal driver, when reinforcement came at around 10 am. He could have been bragging but when I verified his story with our landlord who was municipal councilor that time, and I got more stories of how the civilian populace repulsed incursions by the rebel group.

I was in Davao City to attend to some meetings last Thursday when I called our research teams conducting mangrove assessment in Linamon how they were faring. Our head marine biologist said “we are okay, the barangay captain had made sure we are okay, naa mi duha ka full battle gear nga CAFGU as escorts.” I gave an instruction to take photo documentation, including that of their CAFGU escorts, just in case trouble breaks out, and we can have documentation that armed conflict is not good for development project.”

I told them to wrap up their activity on Friday and arranged for transportation to fetch them and our equipments early Saturday morning.

Monday morning was a lazy morning, we agreed to meet in our office in Cagayan de Oro to collate the data we have gathered and start working on our research report. I decided to goof off some more after texting my staff to enjoy instead the holiday when my wife told me, you have 8 messages in your phone.

One message asked me to listen to a radio station which “was having a blow-by-blow account” of the war in Lanao del Norte. I decided to text sources in Linamon. I replied, “let us asked our contacts their, basin butbot na pod na.”

Another message came “situation in Lanao, critical.” Another said that “unconfirmed reports, casualty si kapitan … sa bakbakan sa boundary sa Kauswagan.” (Fortunately this was not true). From one of our LGU partners came “namakwit na mi, kulba na kayo.” One text from another LGU employee told me “safety na naku mga bata, pero balik pa ko trabaho, gisugo ko ni mayor nga motabang pag-areglar sa mga bakwit didto sa central school.”

Two messages caught my attention most. One came from the barangay captain who had his barangay hall reinforced with sandbags and was tucking a .45 pistol when we had a participatory workshop two weeks ago. “hold the line mi dire, kami kami ra, walay sundalo dire,” The other said, “red alert gihapon mi kay basin mo atake na pod sila, wala may sundalo dire, pero makaya ra namo ni, wala man gani sila kalahos ganina kadlawon tabok sa Larapan bridge.” Larapan bridge is what separates Linamon from Kauswagan town. Brgy. Lapayan where most of the MILF atrocities happened is the Kauswagan side of the Larapan Bridge.

These messages are worrisome. Whether we like it or not, peaceloving Mindanawons will fight back in self-defense if rebel atrocities continue. The same way our Bangsamoro brothers took up arms after state atrocities like the Jabbidah Massacre of the 1960s and 1970s. The same reason why we still have armed Bangsamoro revolutionaries like the MILF now.

Going back to the workshop we had in one upland barangay in Linamon town, I remembered the happy school children who climbed up mango trees to take their lunch with the branches, twigs and leaves. I remembered the faces of the school children who milled around my 4-month old daughter who was sleeping in her stroller parked under the mango tree and debating whether “ma flat ba ang ligid” of the stroller. One comment from a child who was in her 3rd grade and had to walk about 2 kilometers everyday to attend school almost had my tears rolling “ay mao diay ni kanang pampers ba,” pointing to the diapers of my baby. Another one said “hayahaya oi, mao diay lami iya katulog kay kutson man iyang panty.”

During the workshop we had made community generated resource maps, community issues maps and planned on what projects to propose to harness their resources.

We went home after two days of participatory workshop hopeful that official development aid would fund their community projects. As a researcher and consultant of an Official Development Aid project, I had made a strong resolve to make very convincing recommendations on the projects they have aspired for like community water system, inland fisheries and many more.

I went out of that workshop hopeful, the faces and stories of the community members I had worked and befriended with very vivid in my mind.

Now, I am worried. The innocence of children once again shattered by gunfire. The aspiration for community development by their parents and community leaders again thrown out in limbo.

(The writer, a development worker is using his pen name as he still has unfinished engagements in Lanao del Norte for an Official Development Aid project where he serves as one of the consultants. Comments can be sent to alberto0927@yahoo.com)