A Series of Unfortunate Events

I used to love Cotabato City. Despite the fact that it had no malls or McDonald's or movie houses that play newly released films on time, it was nevertheless my hometown. I even remember going home every month back in college because I couldn't stand the fact of being away from my family for a long time. But back then, it was still safe to ride on Weena Buses. Bomb threats rarely happened. That was also when bus fares still cost P180 instead of P270.

A lot of non-residents fear Cotabato. I never understood why. I always thought that it was a safe place to live in. There were no Abu Sayyaff members in Cotabato City like most of these people would believe. They judged my hometown based on what they see on TV, on what they hear on the news. They had no idea that most of the time, the media had a way of changing the angles of every story presented on the news. Unfortunately, Cotabato City is almost always presented in a negative perspective.

All of these things, however, no longer matter to me anymore. If it weren't for my family and the house my father built, I would rather not go home. I don't want to pass by the place where my father was murdered; the place where his assassins remain at large; the place where people would stop at nothing just to get what they want, to protect their interests. Cotabato City is indeed not a safe place to live in and I only realized such fact after my father's death.

These incidents which I call "A Series of Unfortunate Events" started in June 2006. I received a message from a highschool classmate informing me that her father was ambushed on the 13th. I still don't have a clue as to the Where's and How's of the incident. All I know is that Elcialyn's father worked at Maguindanao Electric Cooperative, Inc. (MAGELCO). The motive behind the killing remains a mystery to me. I can only assume that it had something to do with his work. One thing I'm sure of though, is that Mr. Elton Paguital was a simple man who led a decent life for his family.

I really felt sorry for Elcie. I told her that I feared the same for my father. As far as I can remember, I always prayed for Papadang's safety because I knew that his lines of work did not guaranty any security. Everytime I'd hear some news regarding some political killings in Cotabato, I'd immediately text Papadang just to check if he was okay. I would remind him to always be careful. Then he would say, "We (he and Ina) are always taking care of ourselves because of our loved ones, especially our children."

Four months later, on October 6, I received a message again from Elcie. She told me that Atty. Arnel Datukon was slayed. Again, it was an ambush. To quote the news, viz:

On Wednesday, Datukon and Mohammad, while aboard a private vehicle, were ambushed and killed by motorcycle-riding gunmen amid heavy traffic at the corner of Quezon and Notre Dame Avenues here.

The killers managed to escape despite pursuit efforts launched by law enforcers following the incident. (news.balita.ph)

I immediately checked on my father upon hearing the news. He told me he was safe and that he had been taking care of himself. Atty. Datukon, according to my father, was a kind man. He was the former Dean of the College of Law at Notre Dame University, Cotabato City. At the time of his death, he was the Executive Director of the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao Social Fund Project (ARMM-SFP).

My fear for my father's security became stronger each day. But I always set the thoughts aside and consoled myself by thinking and believing that Papadang had no enemies. He was an RTC Judge. Such occupation was not as "life-threatening" as his previous positions in the government.

Then came December 2, 2006. I was hanging out with Felai and Julie at Street Caf near Ateneo when I got a call from Elcie. I rejected her calls at first because my phone's battery was incapable of receiving calls at that time. I thought she was in Davao and that she wanted to see me. But then she started to ask me what my father's name was and where he worked. After answering her questions, I immediately texted my father and asked how he was. I received no reply, which made me more nervous than I've ever been in my whole life. Elcie didn't say anything yet but I almost cried already when the thought of losing my father occured to me. Felai and Julie hushed me, saying that I should not worry.

I went outside the room and dialled Elcie's number using Felai's phone. At that precise moment, I thought my world came crumbling down. My knees felt so weak that they gave up and I found myself sitting on the street, crying so hard. Elcie just told me that my parents were ambushed. I called my cousin and she confirmed, "Bia, wala na si Papadang mo." I swear the world stopped at that very second. I wanted to convince myself that it was all a bad, bad dream and that I would wake up any minute. But nothing happened. It was all real. I was told that my mother was in the hospital and that she got hit, too. That made things even worse. The thought of losing both my parents at the same time almost drove me crazy.

Almost nine months have passed since Papadang left us. Thinking about it now, and reading some news clips with details of my father's fate still make me cry. But it's time that my family and I moved on.

Yesterday, August 30, my sister Janna asked me if I knew Sultan Camsa. I asked her why. She said that he was ambushed together with his wife at about 4:00 P.M. in Cotabato City. I was saddened by the news. Of course, I knew the victim. He was our relative. He was the Postmaster who prepared my Postal I.D. last summer.

I immediately texted my mother and got a confirmation. According to her, Sultan Camsa was my father's second cousin. She told me that my uncle's incident was worse than that of my father. Apparently, he and his wife had their bodyguard with them and that they had a gun (my father had neither) but they were of no use. The wife, Auntie Katherine shouted for help but no one came. They weren't able to get a vehicle immediately in order to drive my uncle to the hospital. The news says:

A senior official of the Philippine Postal Corporation (PPC) here was killed while his wife and driver were wounded in an ambush pulled by two gunmen onboard a motorcycle shortly before 5:00 p.m. Thursday along Penafrancia Subdivision, Malagapas district here.

Slain was Sultan Akmad Camsa, a section chief of the PPC-Cotabato branch, while those injured were his wife Katherine Camsa, collection division chief of the Bureau of Interval Revenue office in Tacurong City, Sultan Kudarat, and their driver identified only as a certain Mamaluba.

All the victims were rushed to the Cotabato Regional Medical Center here shortly after the incident where Camsa was declared dead on arrival.

In his hospital bed, the driver said they were passing through the Penafrancia area on their way home from work when the motorcycle-riding gunmen overtook and opened fire at them.

Mamaluba said he managed to dock for cover inside the vehicle despite being hit at the back but Camsa was not fortunate enough to survive the hail of bullets coming from the attackers.

The volley of gunfire also hit Camsa's wife in the abdomen while seated at the rear section of the vehicle.

Police pursuit operations are ongoing to arrest the perpetrators who sped off towards adjacent Bagua area in this city.

Police investigators have yet to determine the motive behind the incident.

It was tragic just like what happened to Elcie's father, Atty. Datukon, and my father. What made me more sad about the incident was the fact that Ces, my uncle's daughter, was about to take the Bar exams this Sunday. She had to go home today. The thought of not having one's father to be there once a person takes and passes the Bar really is heartbreaking.

All these facts have led me to reconsider my options of working in Cotabato City in the near future. I have this feeling that I might end up dead earlier than I expect.

At any rate, the Qur'an says:

"Everyone is going to taste death, and We shall make a trial of you with evil and good. And to Us you will be returned." [Holy Qur'an, 21:35]