Sailing Surge of Serenity “When would this end?” A question I keep on asking myself. A question who circulated my thoughts, throbbed my heart and turned my vision into a sea of what ifs and an ocean of maybes. I was completely disheveled and shattered into a million of pieces. Swiftly, legions of tragic memories came rushing into my head, triggering my sanity like multitude of bullets which can’t be ceased. Throwbacks generated and I was brought to that melancholy again. I can see large nongovernment armed groups infiltrating the power of our government where they have induced extreme grief and loneliness towards the families of those who have died in the stages of war. I can feel the negative domino effect brought by the communist-terrorist groups towards people who are located in disadvantage, conflict-affected areas in our country where intense brainwashing and forceful misdirection of principles happen. I can hear their conversation of thoughts between international agencies and parliaments for their underground activities. All of these are transpiring in one broad moment and I am at the edge of my consciousness, activating my self-drive and recalibrating my principle. We were birds back then, who came ready, prepared and aware of the approaching winter season. But the icy wind and cool breeze made our wings were severely broken that no matter how hard we try to fly, we kept on crashing and falling down. Birds who are deeply challenged and crisis attacked. Reality slapped the whole nation’s face. We realized, absorbed and understood what we were lacking and what we did wrong. If only misconceptions and ignorance were eradicated, then we will have a one and united stand where peace and harmony is being embodied. This paved the way for the “whole-of-nation approach”. This initiative would work out a mechanism to help end the decades-old communist insurgency, as the fate of the peace talks with the rebels remains uncertain. Through this program, the task force under the Office of the President aims to address the root causes of insurgencies, internal disturbances, tensions and other armed conflicts and threats by prioritizing and harmonizing the delivery of basic services and social development packages in conflict-affected areas and vulnerable communities. In addition, the task force is expected to formulate and start implementing a peace framework and will evaluate, modify or integrate policies, programs and activities contained in the framework. Just like the ‘Validation of Needs Workshop’ which catered barangay leaders, mayors, civil society groups, including national and local government heads which seeks to round up thoughts, ideas, and detailed outlines that describe the roots of communist insurgency so those various governing bodies would know how to deal with it, considering the scope of setbacks in addressing peace and order issues. Results revealed that the root cause of poverty is insurgency. The task force also crafts capacity-building measures to enable chief executives and peace bodies to engage in and facilitate local and international peace engagements or negotiations and interventions. This is just like when some UN agencies, EU governments, and the EU Parliament itself feel good about sending financial support to community projects in southeast Asia however their vetting processes need to be scrutinized as they might have been indirectly supporting communist-terrorist underground activities in the region affecting the very people 1 whose lives they supposedly seek to improve in the name of humanitarian action and development cooperation. Let us all remember that the whole of nation approach is not new. It is in the past but all weave in a slow marching step due to lack of synchronization of some agencies’ plans and programs to combat insurgency. Now, we have EO 70 to make it happen. We are Filipinos, adversities may crash our spirit but then we will also endure. We are bigger than all the adversities. Remember, even the smallest waves, can create hundreds of impacts. Slowly, they become surges that travel up to the farthest point of the ocean or to the nearest part of the beach. Let us all be surges and sail positivity, hope and serenity towards other people until the very edge of the ocean in all corners of the world. “Now, how will you end this?” 2 Reference: Balistoy, Ruby Leonora (2019). Communities’ support to EO 70. Retrieved from https://pia.gov.ph/news/articles/1022779 Executive Order No. 70 (2018) – Office of the President. Malacanang Records Office. Manila, Philippines. Retrieved from: https://www.officialgazette.gov.ph/downloads/2018/12dec/20181204-EO-70-RRD.pdf 3
