Being in Japan, I don't know much of what happens in the Philippines nowadays, but another blogger's latest entry has woken me up to what's happening in Manila and in the Middle East.
So the latest hostage in Iraq is a Filipino. This still comes as quite a shock to me. I know that there are millions of Filipinos in the Middle East (my father included), but normally no one targets us. We are a peace-loving country, after all. We are accepting of foreigners, and we don't bother other people. Sometimes, terrorists from the southern part of the Philippines commit crimes to other nationalities and civilians inside the country, but they are the same kind of people working in the ranks of Osama bin Laden and his men, so pardon me if I don't consider them one of us.
I believe President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo has now ordered the early return of the 51 humanitarian forces in Iraq. People all over the world are criticizing Arroyo's decision. And, what was the US Ambassador to the Philippines quoted as saying? I think it was something that goes: "Do not confuse your enemies or your friends." You have to admit, Arroyo's decision is a difficult one. I do understand why Arroyo would want to save even just one Filipino worker's life. Because even though we Filipinos have the crab mentality (i.e. if you're down, then pull the others down with you) among ourselves, I still believe that when other nationalities bug us, we stick together. And being a predominantly Catholic nation, even just one person's life is valued.
Now, you might say that because the government has decided to pull out the troops, it will be more dangerous because the terrorists will think that we can easily be manipulated. Well, so what? You see, if the troops were pulled out, they wouldn't have anything to manipulate us with, right? In the first place, those troops shouldn't have been sent there! And so what if people are criticizing this move? I bet only those who are in favor of this war are doing that. What about France, Germany, and all those other nations that do not support this war? It might be a little late, but we can still move in that direction.
I know the Philippines has been an ally of the US ever since they rescued us from Spain. I can't believe I'm saying this, as I have been pro-US ever since, but now, I don't believe in the term "US ally" anymore. I've realized that we're actually just a "US puppy". We're practically at the beck and call of the US. I know, we put ourselves there, but I think it's high time to stand up for ourselves. True, if we were involved in a war, we would get our asses kicked if the US didn't help us. But if we just stayed out of everybody's business, then nobody would bother us and we wouldn't need defending. As a matter of fact, the only war we've been involved in has been WWII, and the only reason the Japanese bombed was because we were a colony of the US! If you really think about it, being a US puppy has done more harm than good to the Philippines. I'm not saying that we should make an enemy out of the US government (because that would be suicide). I'm just thinking, maybe it's time to distance ourselves a little.
I think it's getting very obvious that this war has become a lose-lose situation. Bush always says America has become a safer place. Ok, so maybe the US is safer now. But, hell, the rest of the world is not. Because before this war started, I didn't fear for my father's life in Saudi Arabia, and I didn't have a fellow Filipino pleading for his life on television!
Mr. Bush, I think it's time for you to realize that there are other people and other countries in the world!
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| The Chancery of the Manila American Embassy |
So the latest hostage in Iraq is a Filipino. This still comes as quite a shock to me. I know that there are millions of Filipinos in the Middle East (my father included), but normally no one targets us. We are a peace-loving country, after all. We are accepting of foreigners, and we don't bother other people. Sometimes, terrorists from the southern part of the Philippines commit crimes to other nationalities and civilians inside the country, but they are the same kind of people working in the ranks of Osama bin Laden and his men, so pardon me if I don't consider them one of us.
I believe President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo has now ordered the early return of the 51 humanitarian forces in Iraq. People all over the world are criticizing Arroyo's decision. And, what was the US Ambassador to the Philippines quoted as saying? I think it was something that goes: "Do not confuse your enemies or your friends." You have to admit, Arroyo's decision is a difficult one. I do understand why Arroyo would want to save even just one Filipino worker's life. Because even though we Filipinos have the crab mentality (i.e. if you're down, then pull the others down with you) among ourselves, I still believe that when other nationalities bug us, we stick together. And being a predominantly Catholic nation, even just one person's life is valued.
Now, you might say that because the government has decided to pull out the troops, it will be more dangerous because the terrorists will think that we can easily be manipulated. Well, so what? You see, if the troops were pulled out, they wouldn't have anything to manipulate us with, right? In the first place, those troops shouldn't have been sent there! And so what if people are criticizing this move? I bet only those who are in favor of this war are doing that. What about France, Germany, and all those other nations that do not support this war? It might be a little late, but we can still move in that direction.
I know the Philippines has been an ally of the US ever since they rescued us from Spain. I can't believe I'm saying this, as I have been pro-US ever since, but now, I don't believe in the term "US ally" anymore. I've realized that we're actually just a "US puppy". We're practically at the beck and call of the US. I know, we put ourselves there, but I think it's high time to stand up for ourselves. True, if we were involved in a war, we would get our asses kicked if the US didn't help us. But if we just stayed out of everybody's business, then nobody would bother us and we wouldn't need defending. As a matter of fact, the only war we've been involved in has been WWII, and the only reason the Japanese bombed was because we were a colony of the US! If you really think about it, being a US puppy has done more harm than good to the Philippines. I'm not saying that we should make an enemy out of the US government (because that would be suicide). I'm just thinking, maybe it's time to distance ourselves a little.
I think it's getting very obvious that this war has become a lose-lose situation. Bush always says America has become a safer place. Ok, so maybe the US is safer now. But, hell, the rest of the world is not. Because before this war started, I didn't fear for my father's life in Saudi Arabia, and I didn't have a fellow Filipino pleading for his life on television!
Mr. Bush, I think it's time for you to realize that there are other people and other countries in the world!
