POCA
Apparently, the war in Marawi City is not yet over despite the declaration of government forces that the war was to end last June 12, Philippine Independence Day.
So why did the military fail to reach their self-imposed deadline? I think the government misread the strength of the Maute terror group, especially its finances and its high-powered arms as well as their shabu supply found in the hideout of a Maute supporter.
Many thought that a part of Marawi City has been cleared by the military, but surprisingly, the rebel groups still have combatants fighting the soldiers.
Clearly, the Maute Group holds the advantage of knowing the terrain, and they use civilians as human shields.
The military’s air strikes and deployment of additional troops showed that it has learned its lesson and will be silent on when they can actually end the conflict.
Amid this backdrop, militant leftist groups stage protests while opposition politicians demand that martial law be lifted over Mindanao. I have a friend in Mindanao who turned emotional as she spoke out against the militants and the officials who spoke out against martial law.
She said these critics should go to Mindanao and experience their situation firsthand. The noisy politicians are ranting in their ivory towers, so it’s better for them to go to Mindanao and help end the conflict whatever way they can.
I think it’s best that we trust the government and the military on this since they know best and firsthand the situation on the ground in Mindanao.
What is good news is that the Commission on Human Rights (CHR) said they have not yet received any reports of abuses committed by soldiers against the civilian populace, which belies the allegations of these militant leftists and politicians.
While we argue over the merit of the declaration of martial law, there are now as of today thousands of evacuees in evacuation centers in Mindanao.
We should focus our efforts in raising and collecting relief assistance for the evacuees.
Many people are now wishing and praying that the war in Mindanao would end by calling on the government to stop its operations.
But lest we forget, it was the Maute terror group that started all of this when it forcibly occupied Marawi City. I doubt if we can reason with them; but yes, in war there are no victors, only victims.
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The controversy involving Bohol Provincial Board Member Niño Boniel and the alleged murder of his wife Bien Unido Mayor Gisela is very unfortunate.
I personally know Niño Boniel because he is a former student of mine at the University of San Carlos (USC), and I found him to be soft spoken and very respectful.
I don’t know about the circumstances that led to the commission of the alleged crime, but I join others in hoping that the police resolve this case.
There are so many questions left unanswered — not least of which is if the mayor is still alive or not since the search and retrieval operations have so far come up empty.
I hope that justice will finally be served and the truth will prevail in this case.