A mother's lament

Yesterday, I saw on TV Armed Forces of the Philippines chief Hermogenes Esperon trying to placate the country's bishops appealing for a stop to the killings in Mindanao as the hunt for the Abu Sayyaf bandits continues. He said they have been holding meeting after meeting for discussions and suggestions. That is cold comfort to the kin of the young soldiers whose bodies keep arriving in caskets in Manila. Until now I get goose pimples when I remember the wail of a mother meeting the lifeless body of her son at the airport.

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"I had not seen him for one year since he started training," she wept. "Why couldn't they have sent them home for a visit before sending them out to the battle?" Indeed, that was very heart-rending. The mother, father, sisters, brothers and even the uncles, aunts and nephews and nieces, would at least have fresh memories of their loved ones, alive and warm-bodied, not the lifeless, stiff and cold corpse in a box. What do the medals, and the monetary compensations matter to a grieving mother who had no chance to hug her boy one more time?

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But a father who was also featured managed to keep a stiff upper lip when asked by media people for his reaction. "He was a soldier," he said stoically. "It is the duty of a soldier to go where he is sent. He knew that he may die, but he has accepted that." In this case, I think it is not only the son who is a hero, his father is one, too. Unfortunately, people with acceptance and patriotism like that are no longer common among Filipinos nowadays.

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In the meantime the President herself has warned against retaliatory acts that may be taken by members of the hunted group in places other than Mindanao. It's a warning we should heed, especially with the reports that the Communist Party of the Philippines leaders have asked their armed component, the New People's Army, to "intensify" their attacks. It could only be a ploy to distract the focus of the military. I fear that we will be seeing more bloodshed before we get some peace in our beleaguered country. For this we also need to pray continuously.

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Meanwhile, the Labor Department has announced plans of teaching overseas Filipino workers on how to invest their money. That's all right, but it will have to be after they have built nice houses for their families to show off to the community. I only hope they make sure that no pyramid schemes are involves. So many intelligent people, businessmen, even, have been tricked into investing millions in those get-rich-quick schemes, and if such swindlers ever got access to our overseas workers, some of them may get dupred, since they do not have investment savvy.

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A profusion of cattleyas, the royalty among orchids, met one's eyes upon entering Robinson's Place in Bacolod during the weekend. The magnificent blooms had been set in a lush arrangement that seemed to be their natural setting and shoppers could not help but stop and contemplate as well as admire the show. Credit for the presentation goes to the Negros Occidental Orchid Society that is now marking its silver year, or 25th anniversary. The group is now headed by Socorro Benedicto Monfort, who says this will be a year-long celebration. This is also the fifth year that the club is sponsoring what it calls the Waling Waling Festival which is, indeed a feast for the eyes. The orchids will be on display until tomorrow. Don't miss it.

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Another viewing offered to Bacolod residents is the Dizon-Ramos Museum that was blessed and inaugurated Wednesday at Burgos Street in Bacolod City. It is located at the ancestral home of the late Raymundo Dizon and Ermelinda Ramos and displays a photographic record of the family, its members and their accomplishments, and collections of art pieces by the couple and their children. The museum is open daily, except Mondays. A donation of P10 for minors and P30 for adults will be welcomed for its maintenance. Brother Roly Dizon, foundation president, is asking other Bacoleños to also put up their own collections of memorabilia.*

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