By Rolo B. Cena
The Gulf Files
Dumaguete Star Informer
28 November 2010
Riyadh, Saudi Arabia – While the entire Filipino community still clutches to the hangover caused by Rep. Manny Pacquiao’s victory over Antonio Margarito of Mexico, the Department of Tourism is to date bombarded with criticisms about re-naming the official brand of the country. The crossfire is between “Wow Philippines!” and “Pilipinas Kay Ganda!”
The old brand that has been running for straight eight years carries the tagline “Wow Philippines!” and with the logo decorated with colorful tourism icons of the country. It was developed and coined by former Tourism Secretary now Senator Dick Gordon. The word “wow” is actually an internationally accepted word for acclamation.
The new brand carries a tagline “Pilipinas Kay Ganda!” and a logo embellished with Bohol’s brand tarsier, coconut trees, the sun and the wave. This, according to sources, was commissioned to an advertising company. The tagline is an expression of acclamation only Filipinos can understand.
Re-designing the brand with a complete change in the tagline and logo catches the eagle’s eyes of the public; it draws negative feedback. It even calls for resignation of the top executives of the Department.
In an interview with Radio Inquirer, Sec. Lim argued there was nothing final about the logo when it was launched. What a subtle excuse from an executive whose mandate is to protect the image of the nation. Why did he launch something that’s not final? I cannot dismiss the idea that he was only laying on the table an elementary school project to test the water under the bridge. This is entirely an inconsistency to the superlative degree that is truly unacceptable!
I really wonder whether or not Sec. Lim knows which one should come first, the chicken or the egg.
Reports indicated that it was even junked by no less than the President. What should the Department focus is to come up with fresh designs that reflect Filipino ingenuity and creativity and not the copy-pasting skills. They should understand that international market does not include the Philippines and so therefore they should aptly design the brand along with the tagline that can be best understood by the entire world.
One cyber-net expert explains that typing “Pilipinas Kay Ganda” in web browsers yields a pornographic website. This consequential effect must have been considered; searches must have been tried and tested prior to uploading. Hey, does anybody from the department know what potential problem analysis (PPA) is? This proves that the new brand was haphazardly created to meet deadlines. Indeed, they stirred a lot of dead lines!
In one of my lectures in World Tourism, it was studied that taglines, when blended with the artistry of designs and colors (logo) create a brand that attract common eyes; however, taglines should be expressed in a language that is best understood by the majority. Essentially, it’s recommended that taglines should be expressed in one or two rhetoric. And “Wow Philippines!” perfectly fits the platform. It is perfectly understood by the whole world.
In my class in Tourism Planning and Development, we emphasized the necessity of coherence and synchronization. Apparently, we are not only selling the beautiful archipelago, we are as well selling the government, the culture and the people. Logically, close coordination and synchronization of actions affecting the business of tourism should be undertaken by all stakeholders, not just by the Department.
Rhetorically, “Pilipinas Kay Ganda” does not contain even a word that sparks curiosity from international public. “Wow Philippines!” is still better and a more effective teaser to date. Yes, what’s in a name but what is it in the new name, indeed?
Tourism is not about beautiful places alone, not about multi-colored or diversified culture and heritage. It is more of an image we people create and project. If we create terrorism or project indifference, then that defines our selling point which no tourist, in his soundest mind, would buy.
Surprisingly, in the Arab Kingdom of Oman, when tourists arrive at the airport, immigration officers welcome them with genuine smile saying: “Making our tourists happy is our business.” And when these people leave the beautiful oil-rich kingdom, immigration officers would ask this sterling question: “When are you coming back, sir?” Noticeably, the influx of their international tourists outnumbers their locals; records have it.
In the Philippines, when first-time tourists arrive at the airport, immigration officers would always smile sans sincerity and say: “Mabuhay, welcome to the Philippines!” When these tourists depart from the Philippines, some would leave traces of doubts and images of discontent that would lead them to ask: “Shall we come back?”
And this horrible image of our country we need to change, certainly, not the logo or the tagline! After all, it doesn’t change the equation.
Wednesday, November 24, 2010
Sunday, November 21, 2010
Thursday, November 18, 2010
Leveraging the OFWs
By Rolo B. Cena
The Gulf Files
Dumaguete Star Informer
21 November 2010
Riyadh, Saudi Arabia – In 18 November 2010, the US State Department was quoted as saying that there is “possibility that the Abu Sayyaf Group (ASG) is getting funding from Filipino workers abroad.” Published in one of the country’s top dailies, further it said “external sources can be the Middle East-based extremists.”
What a biased accusation from the country whose economy is propelled in part by OFWs’ authentic synergy of psyche and physique which Filipino talents are known for? What paranoia of sort from the world’s superpower whose reach has gone beyond limits and control overboard thus jeopardizing the sovereignty these affected nations have?
A concoction of wizardry must be brewing. I have seen this from espionage movies; the same plots the pentagonal structure brought into play in the killing fields of countries the “land of milk and honey” has once dominated.
Firstly, Filipino contract workers nowadays earn meager income compared to the eighties where they used to be the highest paid overseas workers. While they are still the “apple of the eyes” of their employers elsewhere in the world, OFWs bargaining power diminished because of the upsurge of cheap labor from its counterparts in Asia, Africa and South America. Specifically in the Arab Peninsula, OFWs are compared with talents from India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Morocco, Egypt and the surrounding neighbours of the oil-rich Middle-Eastern Kingdoms.
Secondly, the ailing Philippine economy does not promise enough latitude for OFW beneficiaries to spend less for more value; the Philippine economy, technically, does not support the OFW to save. Conversely, the high cost of living abroad does not allow OFWs to indulge in other activities, especially the expensive ones; it sucks their meager income.
It is such an irrational act to divest their meager income into an activity that endangers human lives and consequently downplays the world economy. Why would overseas workers finance the ASG when they can hardly finance the expenses for their respective families in the Philippines? Rationally, what do you think would urge them to play around with their earnings, if there are really earnings – strictly speaking?
Now, let’s detonate one landmine after the other!
One, linking OFWs to ASG is actually naming them as rebels. The plain vanilla interpretation of the statement suggests that the US government proposes to monitor the movements of the OFWs and it is completely disturbing. For one, the government classifies migrant workers as unsung heroes; they did not cross the borders to finance the rebels. Listing them as supporters to these wayward extremists is not fair at all.
Two, the statement can lead us to believe that the US government wants control over the bank accounts of the OFWs or virtually requiring all migrant workers to declare publicly their assets and liabilities only self-serving members of the houses and the cowards from the cabinets are required of. This is entirely inhumane and completely a violation of the Human Rights Law. What the heck is the US government doing?
Three, if the preceding reasons appear irrational – which are actually valid as far as migrant workers are concerned, then I would like to opine that linking OFW remittances with ASG is a prelude to something bigger at stake. When there is smoke, there is fire; when there is war, there is US support. And US supports are actually in the guise of – putting the record straight - the Visiting Forces Agreement, which is now on its way to another review.
Getting the VFA signed at the expense of the OFWs doesn’t sound fair at all; more so, leveraging the OFWs and their beneficiaries for this exercise is inhumane. Can’t the US government think of more compelling and convincing reasons or justifications to maintain their Military Forces in countries like the Philippines, and conceivably, maintain their high profile business? The US government has already withdrawn their forces as early as the nineties. What brings them back in the guise of the VFA?
Putting my two cents in once again, accusing them as supporters of ASG equates OFWs to notoriety only these extremists are known for and is therefore equating them further to be high profile rebels. Linking them to this terrorism is exasperatingly inconceivable and wholly unacceptable, matter which deserves apology. The US government is only adding insult to the present conditions of the OFWs, which does not help at all.
There is only one war Overseas Filipino Workers are in: War against poverty which the Philippine government cannot extinguish to date. Not even the consolidation of minds, if there are minds available at all, of senators and congressmen who are always aiming the spotlight for their self-serving interests. It is the same war that has been plaguing the country even when we stood mentors to our Asian neighbours in the early eighties in technology and agriculture; the same war that continuously drives these rebellion-accused overseas Filipino workers to conquer uncharted kingdoms for bread and butter.
Proudly, the remittances of these unsung heroes have kept the Philippine economy at float, figuratively and literally. Is this how the US government define terrorism – working overseas to earn green bucks to feed the hungry families of these OFWs?
Statistically, where the US military camps are based, these countries are at war; more so, their economies are jeopardized. Take it from the numbers!
The Gulf Files
Dumaguete Star Informer
21 November 2010
Riyadh, Saudi Arabia – In 18 November 2010, the US State Department was quoted as saying that there is “possibility that the Abu Sayyaf Group (ASG) is getting funding from Filipino workers abroad.” Published in one of the country’s top dailies, further it said “external sources can be the Middle East-based extremists.”
What a biased accusation from the country whose economy is propelled in part by OFWs’ authentic synergy of psyche and physique which Filipino talents are known for? What paranoia of sort from the world’s superpower whose reach has gone beyond limits and control overboard thus jeopardizing the sovereignty these affected nations have?
A concoction of wizardry must be brewing. I have seen this from espionage movies; the same plots the pentagonal structure brought into play in the killing fields of countries the “land of milk and honey” has once dominated.
Firstly, Filipino contract workers nowadays earn meager income compared to the eighties where they used to be the highest paid overseas workers. While they are still the “apple of the eyes” of their employers elsewhere in the world, OFWs bargaining power diminished because of the upsurge of cheap labor from its counterparts in Asia, Africa and South America. Specifically in the Arab Peninsula, OFWs are compared with talents from India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Morocco, Egypt and the surrounding neighbours of the oil-rich Middle-Eastern Kingdoms.
Secondly, the ailing Philippine economy does not promise enough latitude for OFW beneficiaries to spend less for more value; the Philippine economy, technically, does not support the OFW to save. Conversely, the high cost of living abroad does not allow OFWs to indulge in other activities, especially the expensive ones; it sucks their meager income.
It is such an irrational act to divest their meager income into an activity that endangers human lives and consequently downplays the world economy. Why would overseas workers finance the ASG when they can hardly finance the expenses for their respective families in the Philippines? Rationally, what do you think would urge them to play around with their earnings, if there are really earnings – strictly speaking?
Now, let’s detonate one landmine after the other!
One, linking OFWs to ASG is actually naming them as rebels. The plain vanilla interpretation of the statement suggests that the US government proposes to monitor the movements of the OFWs and it is completely disturbing. For one, the government classifies migrant workers as unsung heroes; they did not cross the borders to finance the rebels. Listing them as supporters to these wayward extremists is not fair at all.
Two, the statement can lead us to believe that the US government wants control over the bank accounts of the OFWs or virtually requiring all migrant workers to declare publicly their assets and liabilities only self-serving members of the houses and the cowards from the cabinets are required of. This is entirely inhumane and completely a violation of the Human Rights Law. What the heck is the US government doing?
Three, if the preceding reasons appear irrational – which are actually valid as far as migrant workers are concerned, then I would like to opine that linking OFW remittances with ASG is a prelude to something bigger at stake. When there is smoke, there is fire; when there is war, there is US support. And US supports are actually in the guise of – putting the record straight - the Visiting Forces Agreement, which is now on its way to another review.
Getting the VFA signed at the expense of the OFWs doesn’t sound fair at all; more so, leveraging the OFWs and their beneficiaries for this exercise is inhumane. Can’t the US government think of more compelling and convincing reasons or justifications to maintain their Military Forces in countries like the Philippines, and conceivably, maintain their high profile business? The US government has already withdrawn their forces as early as the nineties. What brings them back in the guise of the VFA?
Putting my two cents in once again, accusing them as supporters of ASG equates OFWs to notoriety only these extremists are known for and is therefore equating them further to be high profile rebels. Linking them to this terrorism is exasperatingly inconceivable and wholly unacceptable, matter which deserves apology. The US government is only adding insult to the present conditions of the OFWs, which does not help at all.
There is only one war Overseas Filipino Workers are in: War against poverty which the Philippine government cannot extinguish to date. Not even the consolidation of minds, if there are minds available at all, of senators and congressmen who are always aiming the spotlight for their self-serving interests. It is the same war that has been plaguing the country even when we stood mentors to our Asian neighbours in the early eighties in technology and agriculture; the same war that continuously drives these rebellion-accused overseas Filipino workers to conquer uncharted kingdoms for bread and butter.
Proudly, the remittances of these unsung heroes have kept the Philippine economy at float, figuratively and literally. Is this how the US government define terrorism – working overseas to earn green bucks to feed the hungry families of these OFWs?
Statistically, where the US military camps are based, these countries are at war; more so, their economies are jeopardized. Take it from the numbers!
Wednesday, November 10, 2010
Fraternally yours
By Rolo B. Cena
The Gulf Files
Dumaguete Star Informer
14 November 2010
Riyadh, Saudi Arabia – The feisty Justice Sec. Leila de Lima is pushing all tanks to require elders of Alpha Phi Omega (APO) who are allegedly cuddling Anthony Nepomuceno to produce the suspect and two others. In their earlier statements, APO committed to cooperate with the investigators. As to why they changed their position, something must have gone wrong along the way.
In 27 October 2010, Vice Pres. Jejomar Binay, the country’s second most powerful man named as APO’s strongest elder and former Justice Secretary Silvestre Bello III, accompanied suspect Anthony Nepomuceno to the Dept. of Justice for questioning. After the exercise, the suspect was released with the commitment from the fraternity leaders to bring him back when needed. In the same day, in a press interview, the two strongest legionnaires virtually cleared the latter saying they were convinced of his innocence.
The sterling question now is: Why would the vice president and former Justice Secretary clear Anthony assuming that they, along with his legion conducted their self-serving investigation? Do they extinguish touch of the magical excuse and fairly acceptable delicadeza?
On the first note, the Vice President is not commissioned to be a member of the investigating committee and obviously nor of the judiciary. His statement sans the question on substance would apparently lead to influence the media or the Judiciary.
If I were Glaissa, a law student herself and the amputated victim of the blast, I will give a second thought on the credibility of the Vice President now. He, who has been known to be the most credible local executive prior to his national mandate, seemed to be acting like the sole justice of the Philippine judiciary; such was an action uncalled for of a statesman and a statement, substantial or not, premature to articulate.
On the second note, former Justice Secretary Bello III is neither a member of the investigating panel nor of the judiciary. Why on earth he’d do that when he himself was once an advocate of justice? Justice league, look what you’ve done to the Philippines!
Several frat elders claimed that their “brod” is innocent. If indeed he was (or is), what then bars them from producing the suspect to the investigating panel? Are they judging without the benefit of the judicial process? Ironically, most of them are lawyers or law students; they should know better.
Ferdie Ramos, another elder caught in the spotlight, must have been marred by his fraternal attachment when he declared that APO remained firm in its pledge to support NBI in its investigation yet defended “not to the extent of sacrificing” their brothers. What an inconceivable proposition from a multitude whose firm belief is to uphold justice through the merit of brotherhood.
Plato must be disappointed for these disturbing hodgepodges from his fraters that apparently defy the ideals, vision, mission, or philosophy of any fraternity or sorority for that matter, Alpha Phi Omega included. Ostensibly, such active statements of defiance purport the culpability of the ideals of the fraternity and warrant a premature admission of guilt. Shall we blame the Greeks for creating this wisdom that was consumed by the corrupted psyche of obviously corruptible and wicked men?
This potpourri of defenses from no less than the icons of virtues and jurisprudence carries us back to the Martial Law days of the most despised leader of this ailing republic where only the rich and the powerful benefits the judicial system. Or, are they one of them?
Putting my two cents in to these hullabaloos, if the alleged caretakers of these perpetrators do not bring them to the panel, I believe the government should maximize their powers with the full extent of the law to implicate them in the legal suit against the perpetrators, if not to file legal suits on the ground of cuddling suspects which is also punishable by law. Never mind their powers in the Palace or in the justices, they don’t deserve the respect after all for misleading the constituents and the victims into believing the opposite. Undeniably, these people want to place their vested interests at the other side of the scale at all times.
And whether or not the case will gain merit inside the court of law is another story. The Filipino community is addicted to soap dishes the two terrestrial giants of the country are feeding, what more is new if our judicial system will again promulgate the scripted verdict.
Undoubtedly, big brother’s act of clearing the suspected little brother from an offense naked eyes have witnessed in broad daylight is an indication of fraud and miscarriage of ideals of brotherhood.
After all, “he isn’t heavy; he’s my brother.” Isn’t that blood thicker than Water?
The Gulf Files
Dumaguete Star Informer
14 November 2010
Riyadh, Saudi Arabia – The feisty Justice Sec. Leila de Lima is pushing all tanks to require elders of Alpha Phi Omega (APO) who are allegedly cuddling Anthony Nepomuceno to produce the suspect and two others. In their earlier statements, APO committed to cooperate with the investigators. As to why they changed their position, something must have gone wrong along the way.
In 27 October 2010, Vice Pres. Jejomar Binay, the country’s second most powerful man named as APO’s strongest elder and former Justice Secretary Silvestre Bello III, accompanied suspect Anthony Nepomuceno to the Dept. of Justice for questioning. After the exercise, the suspect was released with the commitment from the fraternity leaders to bring him back when needed. In the same day, in a press interview, the two strongest legionnaires virtually cleared the latter saying they were convinced of his innocence.
The sterling question now is: Why would the vice president and former Justice Secretary clear Anthony assuming that they, along with his legion conducted their self-serving investigation? Do they extinguish touch of the magical excuse and fairly acceptable delicadeza?
On the first note, the Vice President is not commissioned to be a member of the investigating committee and obviously nor of the judiciary. His statement sans the question on substance would apparently lead to influence the media or the Judiciary.
If I were Glaissa, a law student herself and the amputated victim of the blast, I will give a second thought on the credibility of the Vice President now. He, who has been known to be the most credible local executive prior to his national mandate, seemed to be acting like the sole justice of the Philippine judiciary; such was an action uncalled for of a statesman and a statement, substantial or not, premature to articulate.
On the second note, former Justice Secretary Bello III is neither a member of the investigating panel nor of the judiciary. Why on earth he’d do that when he himself was once an advocate of justice? Justice league, look what you’ve done to the Philippines!
Several frat elders claimed that their “brod” is innocent. If indeed he was (or is), what then bars them from producing the suspect to the investigating panel? Are they judging without the benefit of the judicial process? Ironically, most of them are lawyers or law students; they should know better.
Ferdie Ramos, another elder caught in the spotlight, must have been marred by his fraternal attachment when he declared that APO remained firm in its pledge to support NBI in its investigation yet defended “not to the extent of sacrificing” their brothers. What an inconceivable proposition from a multitude whose firm belief is to uphold justice through the merit of brotherhood.
Plato must be disappointed for these disturbing hodgepodges from his fraters that apparently defy the ideals, vision, mission, or philosophy of any fraternity or sorority for that matter, Alpha Phi Omega included. Ostensibly, such active statements of defiance purport the culpability of the ideals of the fraternity and warrant a premature admission of guilt. Shall we blame the Greeks for creating this wisdom that was consumed by the corrupted psyche of obviously corruptible and wicked men?
This potpourri of defenses from no less than the icons of virtues and jurisprudence carries us back to the Martial Law days of the most despised leader of this ailing republic where only the rich and the powerful benefits the judicial system. Or, are they one of them?
Putting my two cents in to these hullabaloos, if the alleged caretakers of these perpetrators do not bring them to the panel, I believe the government should maximize their powers with the full extent of the law to implicate them in the legal suit against the perpetrators, if not to file legal suits on the ground of cuddling suspects which is also punishable by law. Never mind their powers in the Palace or in the justices, they don’t deserve the respect after all for misleading the constituents and the victims into believing the opposite. Undeniably, these people want to place their vested interests at the other side of the scale at all times.
And whether or not the case will gain merit inside the court of law is another story. The Filipino community is addicted to soap dishes the two terrestrial giants of the country are feeding, what more is new if our judicial system will again promulgate the scripted verdict.
Undoubtedly, big brother’s act of clearing the suspected little brother from an offense naked eyes have witnessed in broad daylight is an indication of fraud and miscarriage of ideals of brotherhood.
After all, “he isn’t heavy; he’s my brother.” Isn’t that blood thicker than Water?
Wednesday, November 3, 2010
Stupid war
By Rolo B. Cena
The Gulf Files
Dumaguete Star Informer
7 November 2010
Riyadh, Saudi Arabia – The US government was once again agitated when bomb-contained parcels bound to Chicago were intercepted in the airports of Dubai and Britain through the intelligence information from the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. According to media sources, almost the entire world accused Yemen-based Al-Qaeda in the Arab Peninsula (AQAP) for the foiled terroristic activity.
Recently, the government was perturbed by the heightened travel advisories issued against the Philippines by the United States of America, United Kingdom, Canada, Australia and New Zealand. In their respective releases, citizens of these countries were advised to avoid visiting Manila and most of Mindanao cities including shopping malls, places of worships and other public places.
Credibility-torn and elections-troubled Barack Obama called the parcels as “credible terrorist threat” and could have, according to experts, even brought down the plane. The suspect, a Yemeni woman, has been arrested and contained by the Yemeni government. Assumingly, the US government would spare no effort to delve into the matter and sanction the source of the parcels reportedly sent to the two places of Jewish Worship.
Malacanang, on the other hand, assured the public of no possible terrorism stating further that the Office of the President has been provided with intelligence report and that the situation is under control. Terroristic activities in the Philippines are only carried out by the Abu Sayyaf, the militant Islamist faction of the Moro National Liberation Front. The group is the most notorious of all extremists the Philippine government has to deal with.
Al-Qaeda, the militant Islamist group who was responsible for the 9/11 bombing that toppled down New York’s World Trade Center, was engineered by Osama Bin Laden in alliance with other groups including war-torn Iraq’s Saddam Hussein. However, while the world believes that US military offensives killed Saddam Hussein including its dominion or have thrown them out of Iraq, the proximate probability of reunification with other Muslim fundamentalists still looms as it is obviously caught in the spotlight – again!
President Obama’s dream of fixing peace and reconciliation in the Middle East and Arab Peninsula seems to have been derailed or slowed down. With the recent bomb threat addressed to the Jewish nationals residing in his territory, the prospect of instituting peace between and among the conflict-born Arab Kingdoms is apparently turning gloomy.
For as long as the world’s superpower dominates global politics, war shall always be construed as a controlling mechanism by powerful countries and economies against weaker nations like those in oil-rich Middle East and Arab Peninsula. Consequently, the direct proportional relationship between the supply and demand of resources attributable to this ferocious exercise, under the economies of scale, determines the gigantic role of predator and the coerced submission of preys. Obviously, war is a manifestation of interests no matter who or what triggers which.
Perceptibly, the Islam fundamentalists are the only extremists the world has to deal with. Among them are the Al-Qaeda, the Hezbollah, the Taliban and the Abu Sayyaf. Collectively, these groups are Islamic by faith, culture and orientation. Most of them have been known for their terroristic and kidnap-for-ransom activities all over the world. Practically, the only perceived reason for their cause is their ideology positioned at the opposite end of the Islamic faith.
The Taliban is the Islamist group that was launched in early 1990 to end the bitter war in Afghanistan. Backed by Pakistan, the militant group almost succeeded in dominating the country when America then bombarded them from power in 9/11’s feverish aftermath. The Islam fundamentalists of Iraq are believed to be the offspring of Al-Qaeda. The Jewish controlled Israel defied the Arab-controlled Palestine over a strip of land each one claiming territorial control by reason of historical domain. Hezbollah was founded in Lebanon to blockade Israel’s invasion of Lebanon. The Abu Sayyaf, while it is thriving in the Muslim countries of the Far East with high profile notoriety particularly in the Philippines, shares a common ideology with them.
Startlingly, historic wars can be traced back to the famous Garden where, through the calculative and precise engineering of the serpent, the Woman tempted the Man to swallow the fruit that allegedly contains the trivia of knowledge. This knowledge propelled the technology of procreation whereby the two beautiful animals conjured their sexual faculties that later brought forward Cain and Abel. The four, to make the long story short, not only championed procreation; they introduced war with the highest degree of stupidity. Undoubtedly, it is the same war that crazed man-made kingdoms fighting against kingdoms of the whole world.
Humans are genetically pre-disposed to inherit the image of the Man and the Woman and that includes among others the intellect, the strength and biases, the whims and caprices, and its culpability and flexibility. Conversely, along with creation, stupid war was born. It was not the result of human conflicts or of its attributes; it was an activity consequential to creation itself.
Man is the masterpiece of all Creation initiated by the Master Creator; war is the masterpiece of procreation designed by the savage of the Garden called Man. Arguably, for as long as the thin red line that demarcates the values and greed or good and evil is completely understood, only then can man intelligently punctuate this stupid war at once.
Remember, even the handsomest of all angels named Lucifer waged war against the Master Creator out of personal business. What more can a superpower to its subjects?
The Gulf Files
Dumaguete Star Informer
7 November 2010
Riyadh, Saudi Arabia – The US government was once again agitated when bomb-contained parcels bound to Chicago were intercepted in the airports of Dubai and Britain through the intelligence information from the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. According to media sources, almost the entire world accused Yemen-based Al-Qaeda in the Arab Peninsula (AQAP) for the foiled terroristic activity.
Recently, the government was perturbed by the heightened travel advisories issued against the Philippines by the United States of America, United Kingdom, Canada, Australia and New Zealand. In their respective releases, citizens of these countries were advised to avoid visiting Manila and most of Mindanao cities including shopping malls, places of worships and other public places.
Credibility-torn and elections-troubled Barack Obama called the parcels as “credible terrorist threat” and could have, according to experts, even brought down the plane. The suspect, a Yemeni woman, has been arrested and contained by the Yemeni government. Assumingly, the US government would spare no effort to delve into the matter and sanction the source of the parcels reportedly sent to the two places of Jewish Worship.
Malacanang, on the other hand, assured the public of no possible terrorism stating further that the Office of the President has been provided with intelligence report and that the situation is under control. Terroristic activities in the Philippines are only carried out by the Abu Sayyaf, the militant Islamist faction of the Moro National Liberation Front. The group is the most notorious of all extremists the Philippine government has to deal with.
Al-Qaeda, the militant Islamist group who was responsible for the 9/11 bombing that toppled down New York’s World Trade Center, was engineered by Osama Bin Laden in alliance with other groups including war-torn Iraq’s Saddam Hussein. However, while the world believes that US military offensives killed Saddam Hussein including its dominion or have thrown them out of Iraq, the proximate probability of reunification with other Muslim fundamentalists still looms as it is obviously caught in the spotlight – again!
President Obama’s dream of fixing peace and reconciliation in the Middle East and Arab Peninsula seems to have been derailed or slowed down. With the recent bomb threat addressed to the Jewish nationals residing in his territory, the prospect of instituting peace between and among the conflict-born Arab Kingdoms is apparently turning gloomy.
For as long as the world’s superpower dominates global politics, war shall always be construed as a controlling mechanism by powerful countries and economies against weaker nations like those in oil-rich Middle East and Arab Peninsula. Consequently, the direct proportional relationship between the supply and demand of resources attributable to this ferocious exercise, under the economies of scale, determines the gigantic role of predator and the coerced submission of preys. Obviously, war is a manifestation of interests no matter who or what triggers which.
Perceptibly, the Islam fundamentalists are the only extremists the world has to deal with. Among them are the Al-Qaeda, the Hezbollah, the Taliban and the Abu Sayyaf. Collectively, these groups are Islamic by faith, culture and orientation. Most of them have been known for their terroristic and kidnap-for-ransom activities all over the world. Practically, the only perceived reason for their cause is their ideology positioned at the opposite end of the Islamic faith.
The Taliban is the Islamist group that was launched in early 1990 to end the bitter war in Afghanistan. Backed by Pakistan, the militant group almost succeeded in dominating the country when America then bombarded them from power in 9/11’s feverish aftermath. The Islam fundamentalists of Iraq are believed to be the offspring of Al-Qaeda. The Jewish controlled Israel defied the Arab-controlled Palestine over a strip of land each one claiming territorial control by reason of historical domain. Hezbollah was founded in Lebanon to blockade Israel’s invasion of Lebanon. The Abu Sayyaf, while it is thriving in the Muslim countries of the Far East with high profile notoriety particularly in the Philippines, shares a common ideology with them.
Startlingly, historic wars can be traced back to the famous Garden where, through the calculative and precise engineering of the serpent, the Woman tempted the Man to swallow the fruit that allegedly contains the trivia of knowledge. This knowledge propelled the technology of procreation whereby the two beautiful animals conjured their sexual faculties that later brought forward Cain and Abel. The four, to make the long story short, not only championed procreation; they introduced war with the highest degree of stupidity. Undoubtedly, it is the same war that crazed man-made kingdoms fighting against kingdoms of the whole world.
Humans are genetically pre-disposed to inherit the image of the Man and the Woman and that includes among others the intellect, the strength and biases, the whims and caprices, and its culpability and flexibility. Conversely, along with creation, stupid war was born. It was not the result of human conflicts or of its attributes; it was an activity consequential to creation itself.
Man is the masterpiece of all Creation initiated by the Master Creator; war is the masterpiece of procreation designed by the savage of the Garden called Man. Arguably, for as long as the thin red line that demarcates the values and greed or good and evil is completely understood, only then can man intelligently punctuate this stupid war at once.
Remember, even the handsomest of all angels named Lucifer waged war against the Master Creator out of personal business. What more can a superpower to its subjects?
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