I came across an article, turning Stones into Schools, culled from the book, Three Cups of Tea, Building Peace One School at a Time, by American mountaineer Greg Mortenson. The article, written by Queena N. Lee Chua, described Mortenson’s achievement in Pakistan, his building peace, as unique.
Pakistan is half a world away but Mortenson’s work to achieve peace there, if applied in this troubled country, may also bring peace. Like Pakistan, the Philippines has a serious problem. Peace is elusive not only in Mindanao but also in other places threatened by communist insurgency.
If reports are accurate, in some areas the rebels have successfully recruited youngsters to join their movement. The recruitment is made with a promise of regular pay. In Legaspi City, the recruits come from impoverished families in remote barangays, according to reports.
You can only stop this with the application of Mortenson’s formula. Those out-of-school bored with their lives. They want something that will excite them.
They have to be brought back to school and given the opportunity to chart their own future. They surely hunger for this opportunity which poverty has denied them.
In my early years, I was no different from these young men. With little to do except to wait for what would come my way, I was ready for anything that would change my life. The young men in my barrio had shared my dreams.
We were lucky our town then did not have groups recruiting youngsters for exciting adventures.
Mortenson strayed into the Pakistan village of Korphex from a mountain he tried to climb, sick. The village chief, Haji Ali, welcomed him with sizzling cups of tea and nursed him back to health. He promised to return to build schools for the village.
With money from friends, he returned to Pakistan. At first he met difficulties but his friendship with the local people did him good. Even former Taliban fighters turned away from violence to help him. A taxi driver sold his cab to become his assistant.
One day, the village chief, touched by his concer for his people said, “The first time you share tea with us, you are a stranger. The second time you take tea, you are honored guest. The third time you share a cup of tea, you become a family and for our family, we are prepared to do anything, even die.
Mortenson has built about 55 schools in Pakistan and Afghanistan. One afternoon, the village chief showed him a Koran but said he could not read anything.
“That is the greatest sadness of my life. I will do anything so the children of my village never have to know the feelings. I will pay any price so they can have the education they deserve,” he said.
After the terrorists attacked New York, Morteson was interrogated by the CIA. But he told them terror did not happen because some people in Pakistan or Afghanistan hated the Americans.
“It happens because children are not offered a bright enough future where they can have a reason to choose life over death,” he said.
In the case of the Philippines, those orphaned and widowed by the war won’t appreciate the government’s program to bring peace. This peace is brought about by bloodshed.
* * *
In Bicol, insurgency has become a big headache. The insurgents impose taxes, threaten people supporting the military and interfere in the elections.
The military have not fully neutralized the NPAs. They are still there in the hills; they can strike at will. I do not know if they still go after abusive cops and cattle rustlers.
In the last polls, a provincial candidate in Albay reportedly gave P15 million to the rebels in exchange for their support. The police and the military could not go after the politico.
A provincial fiscal said that the politician could not be charged for his support to the NPAs in the absence of hard evidence.
You know what it shows? Unscrupulous people are financing the growth of the rebels but the long arm of the law cannot reach them.
