Courage runs in Aquino’s family

Now that President Noy is back in Manila, this is an assurance that government troops are in full control of the situation in Zamboanga City.

The President’s departure from the “City of Flowers”—as Zamboanga City was once described—means that fighting between government troops and Moro rebels has scaled down from heavy to sporadic.

The President wouldn’t have left the site if the situation were still critical.

Members of the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) faction of Nur Misuari are now holed up in small pockets of the city.

The reason government forces cannot undertake search-and-destroy operations against the Moro rebels is the fear that innocent civilians might get caught in the crossfire.

“Tire them out so they will come out of their holes for easy picking,” is a strategy the Armed Forces is probably applying on the holdouts.

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The President showed extreme courage in going to Zamboanga City in the midst of heavy fighting between government troops and Moro rebels.

While reporters covering the fighting were shown wearing armored vests and steel helmets, the President mixed with evacuees without wearing anything to protect himself.

Courage—the control of fear, not the absence of fear—runs in the President’s family.

P-Noy’s mother, Corazon “Cory” Aquino, showed calmness under fire when rebel soldiers were attacking Malacañang at the height of the 1989 coup attempt at the time when she was the President.

Sen. Ninoy Aquino, the President’s father, came back to the country despite warnings he would be assassinated upon his arrival at the Manila International Airport (now called Ninoy Aquino International Airport).

After the Zamboanga City crisis, people appreciate P-Noy more than ever as their leader.

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How come the Department of Justice has filed criminal cases against those involved in the so-called Atimonan massacre while it is sitting on the case of a young Japanese woman who was kidnapped by agents of the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) two years ago?

The Atimonan multiple murders took place early this year, but the case has already been filed in court.

The NBI agents reportedly involved in the kidnapping-for-ransom of Norio Ohara, on the other hand, are still scot-free.

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Why don’t we change our country’s name to Babuyan Islands?

With the pork barrel scandal now on most everyone’s lips, and if the allegations about politicians and their cohorts allegedly involved in the scam turn out to be true, I think the name best describes many of us.