It’s been one year since the start of the
Rape of Marawi, referred to by the Media as the Marawi “Siege” and later, the
Battle of Marawi.
I have refrained from writing about Marawi
because it is very hard for me to accept that it was happening / it really
happened. It’s really a miracle, but in a very negative sense.
I never imagined that the Philippine
government and military can be so evil-minded. And they were/are supported by
the Supreme Court and Congress and most of the Filipino people.
I never imagined that the Mranaos or the
Moros would allow the Philippine government to totally destroy one significant
city. I never imagined the Moro armed groups like the MILF, MNLF, BIFF ,etc. to
just watch as the bombs fall on Marawi.
I never imagined intelligent Filipinos not
doing anything to stop the Rape of Marawi, except for some rare individuals
like Cong. Edcel Lagman, who almost singlehandedly opposed the declaration of
Martial Law in Mindanao.
I never imagined the Supreme Court and the
Senate to agree on long-term Martial Law in Mindanao when it is palpably
AGAINST the Constitution and totally WITHOUT basis.
I never imagined Moro leaders could go down
the level of cowards and lapdogs just so they can maintain their political
positions
.
I never imagined that people can be so
idiotic as to believe that it takes six or so months to defeat 50, or even 200,
armed civilians against the might of a country’s armed forces — thousands of
troops armed with tanks, armored vehicles, heavy firepower including RPGs, jet
planes armed with so many bombs plus the aid of US military advisers and
drones.
I never imagined that people can be so
intellectually damaged as to to believe that to defeat a hundred or so armed
civilians, even if they claimed to be part of a sinister international
terrorist group, one needs to pulverize practically a whole city.
I never imagined that people have lost
their sense of logical reasoning as to believe that the military that
pulverized a whole city in order to defeat a ragtag army of 100 or so
civilians, with no surface-to-air missiles or anti-tank weapons, would not kill
civilians or loot the houses, even if presented evidence to the contrary.
I never thought that people would be so
naive and gullible as to believe that even after declaring total victory over
supposed enemies, the government still refused to let the residents back to
their ruined houses — for months! What were they doing? Covering up their
crimes of murder and robbery by burning the houses with tell-tale signs?
I never though I would see the day when
Mranaos lose their dignity, self-esteem, pride and MARATABAT.
I so
miss my eldest brother, Macapanton Rashid Yahya Abbas, Jnr. He was the brain of
the Bangsa Moro revolution. If he were alive today, the Rape of Marawi would
probably have not happened. He was beholden to no one and he was always
fighting for Moro freedom. He had wide powerful connections – both local and
international – and was well respected by almost everyone.
If he were alive, I would have been the
first to egg him on to defend Marawi.
When he passed away, I wrote in my website
The Moro Review that the end of the Bangsa Moro Revolution had finally come.
The so-called Marawi “Siege” has buried the Bangsa Moro revolution. The MNLF
and MILF are nothing but mere bad jokes.
If anything, the Rape of Marawi has proven
once and for all that the Christian majority could not care less about the
Muslims in the Philippines, the Bangsa Moro people. The Rape of Marawi is the
best argument for an independent Bangsa Moro. The Rape of Marawi is also the
best argument to get rid of all Moro political leaders — cowards all. The Rape
of Marawi is the best argument that the MNLF and MILF do not represent the
Bangsa Moro people.
And any grain of respect I had for the
Philippine media had totally vanished during the months-long Rape of Marawi.
======================================
A UP Journalism student doing her thesis on
the Marawi “Siege” interviewed me on my thoughts about it. (I use quotation
marks because I am not sure who the media refers to as those doing the siege
and those being besieged.)
Weeks after the personal interview, she
emailed me additional questions. These are her emailed questions and my
answers:
UP Journ Student: What are your thoughts on how media
portrayed the events that transpired in Marawi? In your opinion, where do you
think media lacked in covering these events? Why?
ME:
The essence of journalism is VERIFICATION. On the very first day of the
Crisis, the mass media interviewed the military spokesman Brig. Gen. Restituto
Padilla and other military officers. They all said that there were no ISIS
members in Mindanao or in the Philippines. AFP Chief of Staff Gen. Eduardo Año
himself assured everyone that Marawi was “under control” and that the Maute
group numbered around 50 only. (Note: The CNN link
-http://cnnphilippines.com/news/2017/05/24/marawi-crisis-timeline.html – has
been updated and the quote from Gen. Año was deleted. Why?? See Changing Marawi
Narratives for the quote.)
AFP Spox Padilla- Sitwasyon sa Marawi City,
kontrolado ng militar at pulisya (Click to view youtube clip)
Another May 23 news clip from GMA TV News
where the milirary again assured everyone that the military was in control of
the situation in Marawi.:
And just a few hours after the
announcements of the generals, Duterte, who was in Russia, suddenly declared
that ISIS was in the Philippines and he declared Martial Law all over Mindanao.
A responsible media would have grilled the
generals who told all and sundry that there was no ISIS presence in the
Philippines. Did the President know better than the generals? And later, when
then Cong. Harry Roque was interviewed on TV, he said that just an hour or so
before Duterte’s declaration, he was with all the military and intelligence
advisers of Duterte and they all said that there was no ISIS in the Philippines
and that everything was under control. Roque was also in Russia as part of
Duterte’s entourage.
Accdg. to Bill Kovach and Tom Rosenstiel,
the Elements of Journalism, among others, are:
• Journalism’s
first obligation is to the truth.
• Its
first loyalty is to citizens.
• Its
essence is a discipline of verification.
• Its
practitioners must maintain an independence from those they cover.
• It
must serve as an independent monitor of power.
• It
must provide a forum for public criticism and compromise.
• It
must keep the news comprehensive and proportional.
• Its
practitioners must be allowed to exercise their personal conscience.
Re: Marawi coverage, all these elements of
Journalism were/are missing. Although, I am not sure about the last one.
I saw an interview of George Cariño. He was
interviewed on his experience in covering Marawi. He even cried. He said
something which intrigued me. He said that they were not allowed to use some
words or phrases in their coverage. What was that? Self-censorship? Is that
related to last element above?
If what happened to Marawi were to happen
in a Christian-populated city? Would the Philippine media do the same thing as
they did in Marawi?
UP Journ Student: How does the news coverage of the Marawi
siege affect the public’s perception on it? What do you think are the other
issues that will be affected because of the media’s news coverage of the Marawi
conflict? What do you think are the factors that affect the packaging of news?
ME:
The public’s – esp. The Christian majority’s – knowledge of Marawi came
/ comes from the media. Their perception of the Rape of Marawi was seen through
the spectacles of media. The narratives the public got were all crafted by the
government and disseminated through the media.
FRAMING is one BIG factor that affects the
packaging of news.
The framing is terribly skewed in favor of
the government’s narrative.
CONTEXTUALIZING. The context is terribly WRONG. From the
media’s narrative, the context is as follows:
Marawi and the residents of Marawi are just
like any Filipino, with the same shared history. All of a sudden, a group who
represents a foreign-based jihadist terrorist group called ISIS, appeared and
took hostage a whole city. The residents
fled, Duterte declared Martial Law and massive military forces came in to the
rescue, like the cavalry of the old US of A. And the people of Marawi applauded and were/are ever thankful
for the Philippine government and soldiers. (This is so nauseating to most
Mranaos…)
The public does not know the REAL CONTEXT.
Marawi and Mranaos are not of the ordinary Filipino variety. The Mranaos are
part of the Bangsa Moro who have been fighting the Philippine Republic since
1970 – for 48 years!!! And they fought the Americans for more than 20 years and
the Spaniards for 350 years.
Given a choice between the Philippine government
and a Muslim group, the average Moro would choose the Muslim group.
The reason for the Jabidah Massacre in 1968
was that the young Moros recruited by the Philippine military refused to go to
Sabah to fight their fellow Muslims. They chose to side with their fellow
Muslims than with the Philippine government.
The Moros are not Filipinos, in many sense
of the term.
And what is the CONTEXT of ISIS? And the
Caliphate?
(Note: All of a sudden, a group of Al-Qaeda
supporters proclaimed themselves to be a worldwide Caliphate in 2014 and called
itself, the Islamic State or ad-Dawlah al-Islāmiyah. The Caliphate is the
government of the whole Muslim World or Ummah. The last Caliph was Abdulmecid
II, Sultan of the Ottoman Empire, who was deposed by Kemal Attaturk in 1924. )
ISIS means Islamic State of Iraq and Syria.
It doesn’t include Mindanao or Marawi. If it does, it would be ISMIS!!!
ISIS, esp. during the time of the Rape of
Marawi, was being bombed out in Iraq and Syria. They couldn’t possibly have any
care about Marawi, thousands of miles away. The Mranaos are not even Arabs.
And what is the Caliphate? There has been a
Caliphate (Khilafa) movement in the Islamic world since the fall of the Ottoman
Empire, and with it, the last Caliph.
But not just any idiot can claim to be a
Caliph, like not any idiot can claim to be the Pope or the King/Queen of the
British Commonwealth (formerly, British Empire).
The Hashemite Kings of Jordan and Morocco
would be the first in line to be the new Caliph, not idiots put up by the US
CIA. And not any idiot can be declared an Emir or Prince of a province of the
Caliphate. (Hapilon of Abu Sayyaf was supposed to be the Emir of Philippines or
Southeast Asia, accdg. to the government. Hahahahahaha!!!!!!)
Several years ago, American and European
intelligence agencies started rumors about Muslims wanting to establish the
Caliphate. But they were demonizing the Caliphate.
I thought then that the Westerners must be
soooo dumb. Didn’t they know anything about the Caliphate (khilafa) movement,
which has been around since 1918 or thereabouts? Little did I know that they
were laying the predicate for ISIS.
EQUALIZING. The Media equalizes the
strength of 50 or so Maute supporters, mostly kids, with the Armed Forces of
the Philippines – with heavy weaponry, dozens of tanks, armored vehicles,
airplane bombers and thousands of troops plus drones from the Americans.
SANITIZING.
There were many reports of civilian deaths, but none were focused on by
the media. And there was MASSIVE LOOTING but hardly any reports by the media.
UP Journ Student: In your opinion, what issues do you
think the media should prioritize and should cover more during their coverage?
Why?
ME: HUMAN RIGHTS is a foremost
issue.
Right now, there should be focus on
REPARATIONS — the Mranaos should be paid for the damage brought to their homes
and properties.
MILITARIZATION – It looks like the
government is intent on building more military camps in Marawi and thus become
an Occupying power.
LAND GRABBING. The government seems intent
on stealing Moro lands, again.
The Americans, and later, the Philippine
government, delcared ALL MORO LANDS as PUBLIC DOMAIN. And since titling of
Lands is not customary among Mranaos, most lands in Lanao are not titled. The
government wants to steal them all over again.
And what is the QUID PRO QUO with the MILF
and MNLF? The fact that MILF and MNLF supported the government means that they
already made a deal with them. Why is
the MEDIA mum on that? Whatever the deal is with both groups must have a great
impact on the whole country.
UP Journ Student: What should be the media’s role in the
conflict? What are the ways the media can do to live up to its role?
ME: The Philippine Media personnel,
esp. the journalists, should adhere to the Elements of Journalism as espoused
by Bill Kovach and Tom Rosenstiel. (see ther first answer)
Later, I emailed her one more point. I
wrote:
“When ISIS hq abroad claimed that the lone
gunman in the Resorts World casino shooting was their member, the media ignored
the claim.
Yet the same media immediately believed the
president when he declared that ISIS was in Marawi with no evidence and
contrary to the assertions of AFP generals who, just a few hours earlier than
Duterte’s allegation, assured the public on national media that there were no
ISIS in the Philippines.
Double standard???!!!"
————–
end of Question and
Answers —————–
I would like to add more points.
In Marawi,
a report that about 50 supporters – untrained civilians, mostly kids –
of the Maute family, allegedly linked to ISIS, were roaming around Marawi City,
was enough for the President to order the immediate evacuation of Marawi City
and to declare Martial Law all over Mindanao and then to bring the might of the
Armed Forces of the Philippines plus American drones and advisers to bomb the
Islamic City of Marawi (or parts thereof) to kingdom come!
During the Cory Aquino administration, a
group of highly-trained military troops headed by Col. Honasan, took over the
Ayala Avenue area of Makati. The Cory Aquino government did not declare Martial
Law or mercilessly bombed the highly urbanized Makati business district.
MARTIAL LAW DECLARATION
The Philippine Constitution states: “In
case of invasion or rebellion, when the public safety requires it, he may, for
a period not exceeding sixty days, suspend the privilege of the writ of habeas
corpus or place the Philippines or any part thereof under martial law.”
In May last year, when Martial Law was
declared, there was NEITHER INVASION NOR REBELLION in Mindanao. According to
military officers — the AFP Chief of Staff no less and the AFP spokesman —
there were only about 50 MAUTE clan members in Marawi and NO ISIS presence in
Marawi, Mindanao or the Philippines.
Only idiots and morons and occupying powers
(who think Moros are their enemies and need to be subjected to their powers)
can justify the declaration of Martial Law in the whole of Mindanao!
The fact that Congress and the Supreme
Court believe that there should be Martial Law in Mindanao (forever, if needed)
only means that the Christian majority are playing along with the government.
While there is Martial Law officially all over Mindanao, everything is
business-as-usual in Christian-dominated provinces. Martial Law is just in full
effect in Muslim-dominated provinces, esp. Lanao del Sur, incl. Marawi City.
MARAWI EVACUATION DUE TO EXPECTED BOMBING
The primary cause for the evacuation of
Marawi was not the people’s fear of the Maute clan. Most Mranao families are
well-armed. They are not afraid of just one armed family or clan. But they are
afraid of being bombed by government forces.
Just a few months previous to the Rape of
Marawi, the government bombed Butig, the stronghold of the Mautes. The
residents of Marawi were afraid of government bombs, not Maute guns. In fact,
about a few hours before the declaration of Martial Law, one Mranao woman was
interviewed via phone by Karen Davila. The woman pleaded to the military,
through the news program, not to bomb Marawi. She said that they did not want
to suffer the same fate as the people of Butig.
And what forced the residents to flee was the
declaration of Martial Law. With Martial Law, the local elected officials would
be powerless. The military would reign supreme. And the Mranaos, like most
Moros, do not love the Philippine military.
And if a Marawi resident was still not
convinced to evacuate, the order by the Office of the Governor/Vice Governor to
leave made the reluctant Marawi resident no choice.
The Marawi evacuation was the most
important ingredient in the Rape of Marawi. The bombing of Marawi would not
cause a lot of deaths. There would be no genocide to complain of. Apparently,
the world could not care less about destruction of buildings, houses and
mosques and roads and bridges. The massive looting by the soldiers and the
unnecessary killings of some civilians on the side could easily be overlooked
by the world’s media, who would focus on the government’s meta-narrative.
BANGSA MORO REVOLUTION – the NEXT PHASE
Prof. Cesar Adib Majul, the “mentor” to the
Bangsa Moro revolution, wrote that there were six (6) stages or phases of the Moro
Wars — the wars between the Moros and the Spanish conquistadors. If that were
so, then the 7the stage of the Moro Wars was the one fought against the
Americans. And the 8th stage was the MNLF/MILF wars against the Republic of the
Philippines that began around 1969 / 1970.
The Rape of Marawi has finally wrote FINIS
to the 8th phase of the Moro Wars. Practically all its leaders are gone. Dean
C. Adib Majul, the mentor; Sultan Rashid Lucman, the Father of the revolution;
Ustadz Hashem Salamat, the Spirit of the revolution; and Prof. Macapaton Abbas,
Jnr, the Brain of the revolution, are all dead. The OIC-recognized Head of the
revolution, Hadji Nur Misuari is politically dead, even if he is being
resuscitated by Mr. Duterte.
The above-mentioned leaders were modern
leaders, educated and were inspired by the orthodox, classical and peace-loving
Islamic ideology. The next set of leaders might come from extreme and radical
forms of Islamic ideology, something like the Taliban or Wahhabi (or the
CIA-created Al-Qaeda, Abu Sayyaf and
ISIS) variety. That would be very bad for the whole Philippines.
