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Peace Plan

Terrorism is something that has become rampant over the years. Terrorism is highly dangerous because its perpetrators often attack places with many civilians. They do not meet their adversaries on a battlefield. Rather, they inflict damage on their enemies by wreaking havoc in civilian streets and buildings. Not only does terrorism affect a country’s security, it also has an effect on the economy of a state. The destruction of buildings and other infrastructures by terrorists impact a state’s economy. Many people live in fear that they may be the next victim of terrorism.

The lack of definition for the term terrorism may lead to its proliferation (Schmid, 2004). It would also prevent the making of proper counter strategies to fight off future terrorism.

The Philippines has witnessed many acts of terrorism. Recently, the Maute group had attacked Marawi in the hopes to build a branch of the ISIS in the Philippines. Since then, the whole city has been evacuated and the siege has cause President Duterte to impose Martial Law in Mindanao. More than 686 casualties with 522 terrorists, 119 soldies and 45 civilians dead, have been recorded (Gita, 2017).

Despite the government making efforts to bring back Marawi City from the terrorists, the fear of terrorism is palpable. With this, I have devised a peace plan that I can do on my own that will eliminate terrorism and its effects in the Philippines.

1.       Raise awareness in social media.

The exposure of Filipinos to social media is high such that information is easily disseminated to them. Taking advantage of this, I will post infographics about terrorism aimed to educate individuals about terrorism.

2.       Write a letter to the DSWD.

The rehabilitation of victims of the Marawi siege is important. During one of the rehabilitation programs for children by the DSWD,  the children were asked what they wanted to be when they grow up. An alarming number of children wanted to become a part of the Maute. With this, I will write a letter to ensure that children are properly counseled and understand the things that are happening in Marawi City.

3.       Write a letter to the DICT.

The media’s exploitation of terrorism is one factor of its proliferation (Schmid, 2004). With this, I would write a letter to the DICT ensuring that accounts that spread fake news and promote terrorism in the country are dealt with accordingly.

4.       Promote love, not discrimination

Cheesy as it may, promoting love and understanding of our different cultures and religion goes a long way. With acceptance that our God is different from the God of Muslims, we may try to reconcile our differences culturally and adjust our attitude towards others. By retweeting or sharing posts that promote cultural understanding, I do my part in the promotion of love.

5.       Write a letter to DepEd

By writing a letter to DepEd, I will propose that cultural understanding be one of the topics included in GMRC classes of children. With this, kids can know the different cultures in the Philippines and understand them.

My peace plan is only on an individual basis. Government agencies such as the DICT and DSWD ought to ensure that terrorism does not expand in our country. Moreover, the AFP and the local government of Marawi should ensure the safety of civilians in Marawi.

References.

Schmid, A. (2004). Terrorism: The Definitional Problem.

Gita, R. (2017). AFP: Fighting Maute group in Marawi becoming more challenging. Retrieved Auguesr 14, 2017 from http://www.sunstar.com.ph/manila/local-news/2017/08/04/afp-fighting-maute-group-marawi-becoming-more-challenging-556661

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History of ISIS

The terrorist group ISIS is a name that many of us are familiar with for they are often mentioned in the news as the ones responsible for suicide bombings. Frequently we are shocked with news that there are bombings in places such as Paris.

The fact that ISIS has been born out of the United States’ failure to take action is even more shocking. With two presidents failing to take the necessary measures to stop the growth of terrorism, a bigger evil was born.

It’s scary how powerful ISIS is now. But now that the root cause of ISIS has been identified, I hope that it will be easier to prevent future terrorist groups from wreaking havoc in the world.  The birth of ISIS is a reminder that ignorance is something that should be avoided especially nowadays. By addressing a possible threat early on, the threat will easily be removed.

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Worse Than War

Arguably the most known genocide that happened in our modern history would be the Holocaust. It was the extermination of millions of Jews by the Nazis who wanted to purify their Aryan race.

Many genocides happen because one group think they are more superior than the other. Such was the case in Germany as stated above, Rwanda wherein Tutsis and Hutus both think they are better than the other and Cambodia wherein intellect was looked down upon and can serve as a ground for you to be killed.

One resource speaker in the documentary talked about how the perpetrators of genocide did more than what they were ordered to do which was to execute their victims. If all they did was their duty, then they would’ve killed their victims as quickly as possible. However, the perpetrators of genocide tortured their victims and killed them slowly. This implies that their passion for murder outweighs everything else. They truly hated those they killed thus giving them slow deaths.

What surprised me the most during the documentary was when he had the opportunity to interview the ex-Guatemalan president Jose Efrain Rios Montt about his involvement in his country’s genocide. The former president outright denied the allegation, saying that the UN code clearly states that you have to eliminate it in whole for it to be considered a genocide. It baffles me that someone could not feel remorse about his actions and that up until the time the documentary was shot, he still is a free man.

The trial for his crimes was held in 2016 and it was a closed door trial due to the ex-president’s dementia. He was also permitted to be admitted to a psychiatric hospital if found guilty for his crimes because he will not be fit to go to prison because of his age and health (Guatemala court: former dictator can be tried for genocide – but not sentenced, 2015).

It pains me to think that leaders like Montt can get away with his crimes and not be served the right punishment for it. It reminds me of ex-president Gloria Macapagal – Arroyo who was admitted to hospital arrest because of her spine. Clearly, the priviledged still maintain their influence even after they have stepped down from power.

Reference:

Guatemala court: former dictator can be tried for genocide – but not sentenced (2015). Retrieved August 14, 2017 from https://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/aug/25/guatemala-rios-montt-genocide-trial-not-sentenced

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Afghanistan: The Great Game

The film centers on the history of the world’s super powers, Britain, Russia and India and their effects on their colonized country, Afghanistan.

Afghanistan started out as a country that doesn’t have a fearful reputation. However, because of the influence of all the countries such as the United States and Russia, terrorists groups have started to form in the country.

Now, whenever someone hears the word Afghanistan, they associate it with terrorists and extremists.

However, Afghanistan can be considered a victim of countries that don’t follow through with their political decisions. Because of the political moves of Britain in order to stop Russia from exerting their influence over Central Asia, Afghanistan was caught between the two countries. Also, because the United States and Russia conflict, Afghanistan was once again caught in the middle.

This situation that happened in Afghanistan may also be possible in the Philippines. There are terrorist groups that are already present in our country as of the moment. The United States also have an influence over us. In the near future, China may be the second state that contradicts the US. We have always enjoyed good diplomatic relations with the United States.  And now, with the issue of the West Philippine Sea dispute, the tension between the US and China may build.

I hope that it will not come to that. The Philippines is already chaotic as it is with the government waging war against drugs. A war between China and the United States with the Philippines in the middle would not do any good for our nation.

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Kinyarwanda

Kinyarwanda is a story set in Rwanda at the height of the Rwandan genocide. Here Tutsis and Hutus kill each other as if they weren’t even humans. This movie has portrayed how Rwandans were prepared to kill men, women and even children just to get what they want.

Kinyarwanda breaks the stereotype that Muslims are bad people. In the movie, the Muslims helped those who were about to be killed. It was the Catholics, particularly the Catholic priest, who led the enemies inside their church and thus Rwandans were slaughtered by the hundreds. It’s ironic to think that many people believe Islam is a religion that is violent because of Muslim extremists that commit suicide for their religion. While love and kindness are values taught by the major religions in the world, not all Muslims, Christians, Hindus or Buddhists uphold these values.

I do hope that this movie serves as a reminder that not all Muslims were bad. Not all Catholics are also good. I do feel bad for ordinary Muslims because they get hated collectively for what a small percentage of Muslims do in other parts of the world. I do hope that discrimination of race and religion will soon come to an end.

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Septembers of Shiraz

Septembers of Shiraz, whose protagonist named Isaac deals with gems, is set in the time of the Iran Revolution. Being a gems dealer, he was significantly well off as compared to normal citizens during the time of the Revolution. Because of this, he was treated by the guards as a person of interest and thus he was captured, The story centers on the struggles of Isaac in the hands of the guards.

Isaac gave up his riches during the Revolutionary War in order for him to be freed. This reminded me of the times Martial Law was installed in the Philippines. The movie can be an allusion to the story of the Lopezes who own the media network ABS-CBN and Meralco among other companies. The president then, Ferdinand Marcos, seized the companies and placed it under the government’s influence.Many still believe that the Meralco is still under the Lopezes’ hold however, they now only own a part of it with a generous portion belonging to their stockholders. Meralco used to be the bread and butter of the family business but after the Martial Law, they never fully regained control of it (Pascual, 2002).

With Martial Law in place in Mindanao as of the moment, these types of instances MAY happen if there is abuse of power present. I do hope that the Martial Law in Mindanao only cause positive things for our country.

References:

Pascual, F. (2002).  Lopezes didnt get back Meralco on silver platter. Retrieved August 14, 2017 from http://www.philstar.com/opinion/164435/lopezes-didn%C2%92t-get-back-meralco-silver-platter

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Behind the Mask

It has always been my dream to visit Europe and maybe even live there. When my father asked me what I planned to do after graduation, I told him I wanted to explore Europe. He quickly disapproved of my plan. “Marami nang ISIS dun”, he said. My mother agreed with him. During the past few years, reports of bombings and hostage crisis in major cities all over Europe have been in the news. The tragedies that happened in Paris and Ariana Grande’s concert in Manchester, both of which were claimed by the ISIS, have left the rest of the world shook and fearful. Just imagine, you could be killed just by attending a concert.

The documentary Behind the Mask features the life of Yunis Delafortrie, a member of the ISIS from Belgium. Before, the words I could associate with Belgium were chocolates and waffles. I couldn’t even associate Belgium with terrorism, much less the ISIS. It is quite difficult for me to think that Belgium now has many young people who wish to be a part of the world’s most feared terrorist group.

Delafortrie was born a Catholic. His parents and the rest of his family are Catholics. He even served as an altar boy in his youth. However, he was incarcerated and found an Islamic book during his time in prison. Because of this, he found his salvation and converted into a Muslim. Soon after, he went to Syria to join the ISIS. When asked if he was willing to kill someone for his religion, he implied that if needed, he would have done so.

He was asked about his reaction about a recent bombing in Europe. This bombing resulted in deaths of both the ISIS members and innocent civilians. He replied that he will pray for the souls of his fellow ISIS members. This shocked me. How could a human being not feel sympathetic or even remorseful about another human’s death? How could someone feel indifferent towards victims of bombing and pray for the perpetrator of the deed?

Before watching the documentary, I have always thought that all ISIS members were of Middle Eastern descent. It has never crossed my mind that there were ISIS members and sympathizers all over the world, especially in Europe.  

The documentary left me feeling bad for all the other Muslims in the world. They are all being stereotyped as terrorists all because of the doings of ISIS. It saddens me to think that the religious divide is so wide that people are willing to kill non-believers of their faith all because they think their religion is more superior. It saddens me to think that a religion that preaches love can also produce hate and discrimination.

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Narcos

Pablo Escobar was a name I knew even before watching Narcos. He was a Colombian legend. Depending on who you ask, Pablo Escobar was either a hero, a role model or nothing but a murderer. He was responsible for building many establishments in his hometown, Medellin. He briefly served in the Congress of the Colombian government. He also supplied and controlled Miami’s cocaine market. He once was one of the richest men in the world.

He was so rich that he

had many safehouses prepared in case authorities found him.

Burned $2 Million just because his daughter Manuela was feeling cold

Had a zoo in Hacienda Napoles

Gave out money by the hundreds to the people of Medellin.

Because of his bustling cocaine business, he also attracted enemies namely the US DEA, the Colombian government and later, the Cali cartel. He remained quite untouchable for some time because he had men under his payroll willing to kill anyone who crosses Escobar. He had the support of the public because he served as Santa Claus to them and most of all, he had the money.

He once bombed a Avianca airplane all because he thought Gaviria, a man who was running for president, was in the plane. He once set a bomb off a busy street because he wanted revenge that his family wasn’t permitted entry to Germany due to the Colombian government’s influence. He killed drug lords who tried to cross him.  You’d think that because he killed a lot of people, most if not all the people in Colombia would hate him. BUT NO. He knew what the people wanted. MONEY. Money he had and so money he gave. This ensured the faithfulness of his sicarios and those in Medellin. Others were faithful simply because they were afraid to die.

While watching the series I could understand why our current President, Duterte, was willing to kill drug pushers. Drugs are indeed a problem in society that if left unchecked, may cause a lot of lives, innocent civilians included. However, rooting out the minor players do not make a huge impact in the business. I hope the government would make more effort in capturing the real drug lords in the Philippines and make sure justice is properly served.

I also hope that Narcos serves as a reminder that fighting fire with fire is not always a good idea. Lives will inevitably be lost and sometimes this will include civilians. Solving matters diplomatically MAY work as long as the diplomats involved are not corrupt and are not prone to swaying.

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AD: Kingdom and Empire

Being educated in a Catholic school throughout my elementary and secondary years, I have always been familiar with Bible stories. The Passion of Christ was always shown to us whenever Holy Week drew near. There, I was annually reminded of how unfair it was to sentence an innocent man to a gruesome and slow death and it was all because Pontius Pilate wanted to save face and let the people decide on Jesus’ fate.  In my third year in high school, we studied the apostles’ history after the death of Christ. There, I learned about how the apostles had the gift of tongues which enabled them to speak different languages in order to spread the Word of God.  However, they did not tell us how the apostles have been killed.

It was also in my third year in high school where we were tasked to read a whole chapter of the Bible. Our teacher assigned us to read the Acts of the Apostles, the chapter that succeeds the four gospel chapters Mark, Luke, John and Matthew. The series AD very much mirrors the Bible chapter Acts of the Apostles. The chapter focused on Saul’s journey in spreading God’s word. The politics is pretty much evident in both the series and the Bible chapter.

This series have reminded me of what I kept on forgetting. Christianity and its history was full of bloodshed. Many have died in the name of Jesus and many were also killed in the name of Christianity. The violence done was done not just in the name of religion but also for politics. Nowadays, it’s easy for us to think that only Islam is a violent religion because we see Islamic terror groups especially ISIS wreaking havoc in various parts of the world. A lot of people discriminate and hate Muslims because they are “Killers”. However, many also don’t realize that Christianity also did the same to non-believers long ago.

My Christian Living Education teacher once told us that the symbol for love is not the heart. Rather, it is the cross. The cross symbolizes Jesus’ sacrifice for humanity and Jesus made that sacrifice because of God’s love for us, his Creation. However, now, I beg to differ. The cross does not entirely represent love. How many killings have been made because of the Son of Man’s death on the cross? How many non-Christians cowered at the sight of armies bearing the cross approaching their towns? I think that the cross more accurately symbolizes sacrifice. The sacrifice done by Jesus and the sacrificing of non-believers up to God.

One’s understanding and appreciation of the different cultures and religion in the world is one step to lessen the hate being generated by the differences in religion. We can’t change what has already happened. We can’t resurrect the dead who died because of religion. We can’t erase the killings reported and written in the pages of history. The best thing now would be to make sure that names aren’t anymore added to the list of those killed because of religion. There is already too much hate in the world. It’s about time we did something to stop it.

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Game of Thrones

Game of Thrones, a popular television series from HBO, is a fictional narrative with a violent theme. I was hesitant to watch it at first because it had scenes involving beheadings, mutilations and torture. However, as I started to watch it, I realized that those scenes were an integral part in the portrayal of the harshness of politics in Westeros.

The politics in Westeros was relatively stable when King Robert Baratheon was still alive. Years before that, King’s Landing, the country’s capital, has seen the overthrow of Aerys Targaryen also known as the Mad King.  With the death of Robert’s Hand of the King, he travelled to Winterfell to recruit his old friend Ned Stark to occupy the now vacant position.

Not long after, Robert died, leaving his son Joffrey Baratheon as heir to the throne. Only, Joffrey was not really Robert’s true son. Instead, he was the son of Jaime Lannister, a Kingsguard and the queen Cersei Lannister, who were siblings. Upon learning this truth, Ned Stark confronted the queen. Later, he was charged with treason for not accepting Joffrey as the true heir and so he was executed. Thus, Robert’s older brother, Stannis, and his younger brother, Renly stepped in to take the throne. Each believed that the Iron Throne was rightfully theirs. Also staking claim to the throne was Daenerys Targaryen, heir of the mad king. She built her army from a sea away in order to take the throne back.

Filled with anger, Robb Stark wanted revenge upon learning that the Lannisters had his father beheaded. He rallied all his bannermen and waged war against the Lannisters. He however, did not want the Iron Throne but instead wanted autonomy for the North.

With three other characters vying for the throne, the politics in Westeros got rocky. Wars were waged and hundreds died. Alliances were made and destroyed. The four characters fighting for the throne did not mind their killing much, believing that it was necessary to claim the throne.

The violence portrayed in the series did not hinder the show’s quality. Rather, it highlighted why it was fascinating to watch. The four all saw violence as necessary in order to fulfill their political goals. Joffrey had Ned Stark beheaded because he wanted to prove a point. Treason is a crime that should not go unpunished. Renly was willing to fight his older brother and forget their blood for him to be king. Robb Stark put 2,000 men to a battle he knew they’d die in in order to capture Jaime Lannister. Khaleesi ordered the Unsullied to kill their masters. Stannis attacked King’s Landing, hoping to finally get the throne.

“What good is power if you could not protect the ones you love?”

Uttered by Cersei Lannister after her son Joffrey was poisoned, this line caught my attention because despite their wealth and influence, the highborns were not invincible. I found myself becoming frustrated by continuing to watch the series because every time I root for one character, he or she ends up dead or omitted from the story entirely.

All men must die. That was the promise of The Song of Ice and Fire author George R. R. Martin. It seems that when things are going well for a character, that was also a good time for him to die. When Robb Stark attended his Uncle Edmure’s wedding to Lord Frey’s daughter, he did not expect to be betrayed by the Lord and be killed together with his pregnant wife, mother and loyal bannermen. Their deaths came unexpected for me as well as the deaths of Ned Stark. I have already seen many beheadings, flaying, torture and killings while watching the series. I have to constantly remind myself that trouble may always be brewing in the land of Westeros so my favorite characters (the brothers Jaime and Tyroin Lannister and Oberyn Martell) may still die.                              

The show reflects the current status of politics in the Philippines. Although there are no wars now waged between candidates vying for presidency, the concept still remains the same. Each candidate has to outsmart the others for their campaign. Each candidate uses the resources and their connections to gain advantage against the others. And finally, each candidate firmly believe that they deserve the throne.

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Critical Commentary 1

Violence is a concept many, if not all people, are familiar with. We hear stories about violence on the news daily. When one hears the word violence, it is normal for a person to feel fearful.  But when you insert the concept of politics with the concept of violence, somehow, the effect is more subdued.  Now, the context of the violence is being considered. Why is there violence in the first place? There are contestations with the concept of political violence because now, the goal is being considered.

There are many definitions of political violence. It may be defined as “violence outside of state control that is politically motivated” or it is a “broad term used to describe violence perpetrated by either persons or governments to achieve political goals”. The lack of concrete definition of the term is one factor as to why there is a contestation with what one can consider as political violence. While violence is something that many frown upon, many also believe that violence is a necessary means in achieving political goals.  

Many groups and individuals believe that their political systems will never respond to their demands. As a result, they believe that violence is not only justified but also necessary in order to achieve their political objectives.

Violence does not only happen from an individual to individual basis. It can also happen collectively. As mentioned earlier, groups participate in violence because they believe that it is necessary for them to get what they want.

Charles Tilly’s The Politics of Collective Violence offers three camps of human violence: idea people, behavior people and relation people.

Idea people stresses the importance of ideas and beliefs into human behavior. These ideas are acquired by people in their environments and through other people. Individuals or groups then act out in accordance to their ideas. Idea people believe that in order to eradicate violence, one must start by eradicating violent thinking.

Behavior people, on the other hand, believe that violence stems from the very nature of an individual. This camp points to human evolution as the root of violent actions. Even collective violence is nothing more than individual behaviors. This view believes that in order to suppress violence, impulses must be controlled.

Lastly, relations people emphasizes the social interaction between individuals. This camps views violence as something like a conversation. This view believes that in order to suppress violence, the interaction within people must be changed.