Disastrous Decision

Disastrous Decision
By Erick San Juan

In the middle of a very miserable situation after a huge disaster, how can anyone refuse any help at all especially when the survivors are still struggling for their second life?

Politicians, current and those seeking for office, foreign “friends” and global organizations are helping for whatever intentions they have to ease the hardships of the typhoon victims. For our government, in this helpless situation could hardly notice how countries like the US and China are quick in sending their help. As for the US government, after the death of the two US soldiers in Mindanao, massive help are pouring in - medical teams, heavy equipments, choppers, more soldiers and “financial aid”. Who invited them?

“We’ll take the lead. What we’re trying to do is to put ourselves at the disposal of the Red Cross so we tell the Red Cross what we have to bring here,” US Ambassador Kristie Kenney said.

This dire situation we are in is not helping our solons but more of creating division to the already divided legislature on the VFA issue. The “sudden death” caused by a landmine by two US soldiers made the hot VFA issue hotter and now more favorable to the US government in the wake of the massive relief operations for the typhoon victims. Favorable or not, the VFA controversy should be decided upon on the merits of how the US forces are handling the situation in Mindanao. Like the recent event on the landmine explosion, our solons valid question of why the US soldiers are in the middle of the “conflict areas”? For the nth time do we have to ask, what is the real score of the US presence in Mindanao after its ten years stay there through the VFA and no sign of development for wiping out the secessionists groups and bandits?

Again, after this natural disaster, an already hard decision on the VFA issue to abrogate or not is yet to be decided upon and we hope it will not result in a manmade disaster. Especially now that there's too much speculations going on that the death of the two US Special Forces could be part of the so called "collateral damage" to justify the so called BALKANIZATION of Mindanao.