It is interesting how incidents like that of today in Zamboanga bring back memories that are both related and unrelated. Last update we heard from our team is that both AFP and MNLF are now in Marta Drive at Brgy. Sta. Catalina - nothing confidential here, everyone knows this (AFP, PNP, MNLF, and civilian residents). Seeing on the map the main access road to Marta Drive reminded me of the time I used the same road to deploy a team of researchers for a conflict research and analysis effort in the neighboring barangays of Talon-Talon, Arena Blanco, and Mampang. That was also the time we were organizing our teams of MinHRAC volunteers for ZamBaSulTa. Thus, whenever I heard about an incident happening in this or that part of Mindanao and the Sulu Archipelago especially places that most people would be afraid to set foot on, I am not entirely blank on it. The familiarity that was the product of having soiled my feet on the ground (e.g. I was once on the back of a motorcycle for two hours along a dirt road in Basilan) helps in analyzing and interpreting events. Hindi na ganon kadali ma-uto. This is probably the best thing I can take away from my job at MinHRAC - the opportunity to look at the conflict from all corners of Mindanao - not just in the 5 provinces of the ARMM but in 11 other provinces where we have teams of volunteers.
Posted on: Mon, 09 Sep 2013 05:10:42 +0000
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