Many Zamboanga residents still in state of shock

Zamboanga City residents wait for peace amid sporadic gunfires. AP FILE PHOTO

ZAMBOANGA CITY, Philippines—The street battles between government troops and Moro rebels may be over but the sound of gunfire continues to haunt residents of this city via the sound of doors banging, wind howling and branches tapping against the roof.

Nuraida Ingting, 67, of Barangay Talon-Talon, recounted how she had to replace her main door, made of some kind of metal, into one made of hardwood to tone down the loud slamming sound it used to make every time people went in or out.

Rubber matting

“The sound made me nervous,” she said, adding that the banging reminded her of her harrowing experience when gunmen turned the city into a battlefield.

For good measure, Ingting had rubber matting made from used car tires and tacked it around the door’s edges, just in case a strong wind sweeps into the house and pushes the door hard.

Other residents, like 45-year-old Janet Candido, who has volunteered to cook for the evacuees, said her family was spooked by the sound of tree branches hitting the roof.

“The sound of tree branches sweeping against the roof was really frightening,” Candido said. “I had to have the tree cut down because my children were so traumatized that mere sounds would make them restive.”

Candido said that when things get back to normal, she and her children would undergo debriefing sessions.

During a Mass on Thursday to celebrate the end of hostilities, a sudden unexplained sound had the churchgoers down on the floor like they did during the fierce gunfight between the Moro rebels and government troops.

Fireworks ban

Msgr. Crisologo Manongas of the Archdiocese of Zamboanga said the trauma among the city’s residents from weeks of fighting, explosions and hostage-taking has prompted him to ban the use of fireworks on the feast of Our Lady of Pilar on Oct. 12.

“Definitely no fireworks; we have had enough fireworks and fire, and our people must refrain from this,” Manongas said, adding that because of the ban, he expected the feast to be observed serenely.

“It will be a serene observance, a toned down celebration that would [be] commensurate for the many lives lost. [It also shows] respect for the hundreds of families who lost their houses to fires,” the prelate said.”

Hopefully, the celebrations in December would also be fireworks-free, Manongas added.

Silent Christmas

The fireworks ban drew support from former Vice Mayor Mannix Dalipe who said he was in favor of a “fireworks-free fiesta Pilar and even a silent Christmas holiday… in consideration of the thousands of families who are still trying to cope with the trauma. Let us instead use the money [intended for fireworks] to rebuild our destroyed communities.”

“I’m for it! Let’s go back to the true meaning of both celebrations,” veterinarian Dr. Anton Lim said of the ban.

City administrator Antonio Orendain said that while fireworks dealers have already secured permits, the city government might still be able to persuade them to defer selling their wares.

RELATED STORY:

Zamboanga residents panic over mere noises in wake of crisis