A BOY sits in the shade of a tree on a road leading to Masepla 3, a site that hosts an array of bunkhouses where at least 250 families, displaced by the 2013 Zamboanga City siege, are temporarily housed. JULIE ALIPALA/INQUIRER MINDANAO
ZAMBOANGA CITY—To understand why city residents became edgy when they read “Happy Anniversary” on a top politician’s Facebook page in the second year of the siege on the city by followers of Moro leader Nur Misuari, take a look at the numbers.
During the actual war that followed the siege, at least 200 people are dead and dozens had been wounded. At least 10,000 houses in seven villages were razed to the ground sending thousands of residents packing an evacuation center where conditions deteriorated to subhuman levels at one point, according to international observers.
Months after the war, death continued to stalk the survivors. Diseases in the evacuation camp, mainly the Don Joaquin Enriquez Memorial Sports Complex at the heart of the city, killed at least 200 more, many of them children.
At least 3,000 people are still homeless.
The camp of Liberal Party (LP) standard-bearer Mar Roxas, whose Facebook page briefly contained the Happy Anniversary greeting, said no offense was meant amid an online uproar over what could be a wrong choice of words.
Clarification
Babes Suva, a staffer of Roxas, yesterday forwarded a text message to the Inquirer, with the title: “SILG (Secretary of the Interior and Local Government) Statement—A clarification on the statement regarding the Second Commemoration of the Zamboanga Siege.”
The text continued in Filipino: “What we went through then became a challenge to the determination and strength of the people of Zamboanga during the time that their peaceful lives were shattered by the attack of wayward members of MNLF (Moro National Liberation Front). The courage and discipline of the AFP (Armed Forces of the Philippines), PNP (Philippine National Police) and the unity of Zamboangueños were proof of the prevalence of law and peace and order.”
“It was in this sense that I greeted our compatriots and comrades. To those who may have taken offense, none was intended,” the text read.
The memory of Sept. 9, 2013 is still fresh in the minds of city residents.
The controversial post, with the words Happy Anniversary, drew the attention of netizens from the city a little past 8 a.m. last Sept. 9.
The immediate reaction was one of disbelief.
Mayor Maria Isabelle Climaco-Salazar, a member of the LP and staunch supporter of Roxas, said she does not believe that Roxas posted the message himself.
“It could not come from Roxas,” she said.
Salazar said the text message that she received from Roxas congratulated her and other city officials for efforts being exerted to return normalcy to the lives of people displaced by the siege.
“There was this text sent to those in the core (group) acknowledging their contributions,” she said.
Santa Catalina village chief Jimmy Villaflores, whose village was among those worst hit, said he was speechless at first after seeing the Happy Anniversary greeting.
“It’s crazy,” he said in an interview, adding that it was unthinkable for anyone to be celebrating with joy a day of horror for the city.
Jofre Rasul, a Political Science teacher at the Western Mindanao State University here, said the post was “quite uncalled for and the height of insensitivity, considering that it came from a top-ranking official of the government.”
“This faux pas may cause serious political backlash here in Zamboanga City for the outgoing DILG (Department of the Interior and Local Government) Secretary, Mar Roxas, who’s actually perceived by many as another ‘trapo,’ who’s struggling to deodorize his image before the eyes of the public,” Rasul said.
The full text of the first post was: “Hi fellow veterans of the Zamboanga siege, Happy anniversary. Just wanted to take a moment and reflect and thank you for your leadership and commitment to welfare of our people and country. Maraming salamat (Thank you so much). Being with you all those 21 days has touched me indelibly. Know that our country stands strong and our flag flies high because of you and the men and women like you. We battle on. Mabuhay ang Pilipinas.”
At 8:42 a.m., it was edited and the words Happy Anniversary had been deleted.
Kiko Miranda, a homegrown artist and a theater director, said the memory of the siege “made Zamboangueños very sensitive on the issue.”
“We are still healing from it. To trivialize that painful part of our history by the Happy Anniversary greeting is downright insensitive and disrespectful. He lost what little respect I have for him,” he said.
Many netizens’ reactions are unprintable.
Trauma
Ramada Jose, one of those displaced by the siege, said only a sick person can celebrate the horror.
“A lot of victims are still suffering and it’s such a stupid way to remind people of his heroic presence during the siege,” said Jacqueline Rogong, a social media user.
Fr. Michael Ufana, who had been taken hostage during the siege, said “it should not be happy even if it was to remember the act of heroism of those who gave their life to save and help, especially the victims of that siege.”
Renowned Mindanao painter, Rameer Tawasil, whose siblings lived on Mariki—one of the areas ravaged by the violence—said Roxas’ camp should understand that the wounds the siege had caused has not healed until today.
Pedro Rufo Soliven, regional governor of the Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry based in this city, said the words used by Roxas’ camp were “insensitive, to say the least.”
“It further reminded us of the blunder that Mar and his team committed in the handling of the 21-day siege,” Soliven said.
Even if the original message had already been edited, lawyer Emil Aquino is still unforgiving.
“He should know better…A lot of us were traumatized because of that terrible incident,” said Aquino, of the Integrated Bar of the Philippines in the Zamboanga-Basilan-Sulu-Tawi-Tawi area. Julie Alipala, Inquirer Mindanao