Up to now there are no clear-cut answers for all the questions. What is known and acknowledged is that nearly 50 elite Special Action Force troops of the Philippine National Police were sent on a dangerous mission to serve a warrant on a foreign terrorist hiding on Philippine soil.
Of course it was a black-op, like the mission to take or kill Bin Laden, where secrecy was necessary to the mission’s success. That one ended well for the Americans, in that they achieved their objective.
The Mamasapano mission, however, ended tragically. Not only were 44 lives lost, but the lives of the loved ones they left behind are affected far into the future.
What is also known is that those who fell were texting and calling their superiors and families even as their world grew darker and death crept nearer on Barretts and other weapons allegedly built by rebel armorers.
The Fallen 44 asked for reinforcements, extraction. None came. Most of them were executed with a gunshot to the head. Did they walk into a trap? Were they betrayed? Certainly they were let down, when the help they counted on failed to appear.
Seventeen of the rebels died, and five civilians. The Mamasapano affair is one of the bloodiest and ill-starred in Philippine history; what is worse is that it need not have ended that way.
There have been calls for war against the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) and the Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters (BIFF). Cooler heads warn of the immense cost, and urge the passage of the Bangsamoro Basic Law, so that further tragedy may be averted.
Whether or not this is the right direction to take at the moment and given the circumstances is for wiser heads to ponder. As a people, we can only hope that the right decision will be made – for peace, rather than war, without compromising the sovereignty and dignity of the state and the nation.
Why for peace?
We need peace in Mindanao because that land has not known surcease from strife in living memory.
My family’s roots are sunk in that war-torn, blood-soaked land. But I was born and grew up in Imperial Manila, far from the conflict. We need peace in Mindanao because the sons and daughters of that land need somewhere to flourish in safety that their parents need not take them and flee to other, gentler places.
We need peace in Mindanao because it is a part of our country, inextricable and inalienable; considering it otherwise would make us traitors to those who fought and struggled to unite all the islands under one banner.
But as we need peace, we also need answers. We need to know who are responsible for this debacle so that they may be brought to account.
We need to be able to assure our warriors that their government and their people have their back, even as they put their lives at risk for the sake of that same peace we are trying to achieve.
We need leaders who are principled enough to take responsibility for their decisions and apologize for their mistakes; who will recognize their elitist mindset and its egocentricity and privilege and consciously set it aside; who will put the people and the country ahead of their personal agenda.
As Filipinos, the lesson of Mamasapano is clear, and we have a long wish list, at the top of which is “an end to the rule of oligarchs.”
The national elections are on 9 May 2016, only a year and three months away. We have only that much time left to look at the presidentiables—a pretty shallow bench so far—and make better selections.
Refuse the oligarchs and those from political dynasties who have treated our country as their personal playground and the people as cannon fodder.
Bring fresh blood and fervor into the leadership of this country, and balance hawks and doves, wise men and warriors.
Elect the brave, sage, and just.
Above all, vote for a leader who will make sure no one is left behind.
Facebook: Jenny Ortuoste, Twitter: @jennyortuoste, Blog: http://jennyo.net