MSU bombing: The evil in man
“What gave the President the idea to pin the blame on ‘foreign terrorists’?
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“What gave the President the idea to pin the blame on ‘foreign terrorists’?
For Christian devotees, Sunday is usually a day of rest. It is the special day of the week, much like Friday is for Muslims, when they don their "Sunday best" to troop to a religious observance — Mass in a church, prayer hall, and other places of worship. They perform prayer rituals and listen to sermons of peace and love for their neighbors.
The Christians at Mindanao State University, mostly students, teachers, workers, and their families, do not have a church in their community. As a special accommodation but against the advice of ultra-conservative Muslim ulamas, the university administration allowed them to celebrate their masses in the university gymnasium. The university is, after all, a social laboratory that brings together people of diverse faiths. The local people have been living together in harmony and tranquility. Religion was never an issue among them.
Unfortunately, last Sunday, the peace in the academic community was broken. A bomb of unknown make ripped through the gymnasium in the middle of a Catholic Mass, killing four and wounding scores and still counting at press time.
With the advances in information and communications technology, the news spread like wildfire, passed along on mainstream and social media, complete with graphic images of the victims (there should be a law banning the taking of their photos and publicly showing them, being an intrusion on their privacy). Immediately, messages of condemnation and indignation over the dastardly crime were publicly expressed, along with words of condolence for the bereaved families of the victims.
Leading the condemnation was President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., who, in a public statement, said, "Extremists who wield violence against the innocent will always be regarded as enemies to our society… I condemn in the strongest possible terms the senseless and most heinous acts perpetrated by foreign terrorists …"
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Eyebrows were raised. What gave the President the idea to pin the blame on "foreign terrorists?" Was he fed classified information by the intelligence community that was hidden from the public?
Remember that he issued that statement a few hours after the incident. He appealed to the public to remain calm, as he assured them that the government would bring the perpetrators to justice. He also ordered the uniformed authorities to provide protection and security to civilians and the affected communities. Vice President Sara Duterte followed suit and condemned the dastardly act.
In no time, Lanao del Sur Governor Bombit Adiong, Marawi City Mayor Majul Gandamra, Congressmen Zhia Adiong and Mujiv Hataman, Budget Secretary Amenah Pangandaman, and Moro society groups issued public condemnations, expressed solidarity with the victims and their families, and urged an immediate investigation to pinpoint the culprit.
What drove this evil act? The motive is still being investigated. Rumor mongers and armchair analysts advanced diverse theories. Some said the crime was greatly influenced by what is happening in West Asia, specifically the Hamas-Israel war, where Muslim Palestinians are always depicted as being on the losing end. Media's daily dish of wanton bombings and the killing of Muslim children, women, seniors, and the infirm could have triggered a vengeful reaction from Muslim radicals and terrorists.
The Philippine police and armed forces theorized it might have been a retaliatory act by the local ISIS-affiliated Dawlah Islamiyah for the deaths of 11 members in an encounter with soldiers in Maguindanao del Sur last 1 December and the "neutralization" of their leaders in Sulu, Lanao del Sur and elsewhere.
Immediately, the Office of the City Mayor of neighboring Iligan City offered transportation to evacuate MSU students to Iligan City. A bus was likewise dispatched by the parents of students from the Cotabato provinces to evacuate their relatives. There was so much fear and apprehension reminiscent of the 1972 Marawi rebellion and the 2017 siege, where non-Muslims were victimized. Those were the dark days of the region when the local society was polluted by so much distrust between residents of diverse faiths, leading Muslims living in the Christian province of Lanao del Norte to evacuate to Lanao del Sur and other safer places.
We join in the condemnation and call for the government to pinpoint responsibility for the bombing and to secure non-Muslims, especially students of MSU and those plying their trades in Marawi City.
amb_mac_lanto@yahoo.com
