Will the siege in Marawi City be another Zamboanga incident?
Hi, I am a Zamboangeño who was in the city when the siege happened.I can only base my knowledge on what’s happening in Marawi based from the updates of netizens from twitter and the coverage media outlets have given so far.In my opinion, based from the updates from the residents in Marawi themselves, the situation looks worse than what it was in the Zamboanga siege.In the Zamboanga siege, only the barangays which were further away from the city proper were truly affected. I’m not trying to downplay what happened to Zamboanga. But based from what we know, there are literally Maute members burning churches, schools and invading hospitals wherein the residents can literally see them strolling outside if they take a peek outside their windows.I might be wrong but whichever is it, what we need to do right now isTo pray for the safety of the peopleTrust the governmentDon’t generalize all muslimsBe informedAnd for god sakes, don’t engage in meaningless debates online.
Is the bombing of the cathedral in Jolo a sign that the threat of Islamic terrorism and ISIS is slowly metastasizing throughout the Philippines?
Quite possible.I grew up in Jolo and in the 1960s served Mass in that cathedral at least twice a week. Someone I know died during that bombing. A Bishop I knew was killed there a few years ago. As was a priest. A cousin of mine was killed at the door of that cathedral in the 1950s. Christians were even then a tiny minority of about 5%. Now much less.The cathedral of a much bigger city in mindanao (Davao) was bombed some years ago on Christmas as I recall. The city of zamboanga was attacked massively a few years ago. The town of Ipil before that. Marawi more recently. In all of these different groups claimed responsibility but the general pattern was the same.This group claiming an ISIS affiliation is just the latest. With money from abroad, it could easily get worse. Even easier with volunteers suicide bombers from abroad, as has been reported. So it could get really complicated.Fortunately, Filipino Christians are not easily aroused. So real trouble could be far off.But ultimately it will depend on the government taking serious action. That has been the lesson of history there. Which duterte seems to be doing, or at least posturing as doing. Time will tell.Because nothing good will come from trouble there. Everybody will suffer.During the peak of the rebellion in the 1970s, a lot of muslims died, as well as Christians. My uncle among them. Most people do not want a repeat.
How safe is Zamboanga?
As for tourists foreigners, Zamboanga City is NOT SAFE unless you know someone whom you trust and guide you to wander around the city.There’s always this mischievous danger that surrounds the city, we never know what will be the move of those bad doers (that specific group, you know already what I mean).Just be prepared and be vigilant. For us Filipinos, we could say that Zamboanga is literally safe as we are used of hearing those unfortunate events that often happened in the city but for the safety of “Tourists” (foreigners) we should be honest and say it isn’t.For locals, It’s a good place for them to discover about the history and as well as the beautiful dialect of the city “Chavacano” which is pretty interesting to hear when you know the Spanish language.People are very friendly and willing to help.
Rizal was bout 2 publish his 2nd novel, he urged other re4mists-ryters 2 stop using pseudonym.wat was d rison?
Common sense. The reformists wanted Jose Rizal to be blame by the Spaniards and not somebody else if the Spaniards find the "2nd novel", seditious or attacking the Spanish sovereignty. Del pilar and others are fed up by the guardia civil's knocking at their door in the middle of the night, because of suspisions. So they told Rizal, " Pepe, susulat ka na naman ha. ilagay mo ang totoo mong pangalan diyan eka. Nakakarami ka na eka, Pag ako di makapagpigil, hihilahin ko bigote mo." These and other complaints like that of Bonifacio..."Pepe naman, pakiusap lagay mo na totoo mong pangalan. Nabibitin ako at ng aking kabiyak tuwing kami ay nagtatalik sa tuwi nang kakatok ang mga guwardia sibil, itatanong lang naman ay "ikaw ba si dimasalang o tagailog"?
What does this mean "kala mo kung ano noh"?
kala mo - should be :"Akala mo" kung - a Tagalog/Filipino expression literally meaning "if" ano - what noh - should be "no", a Tagalog/Filipino expression meaning - isn't it This is an idiomatic Tagalog/Filipino expression which means in English which should not be translated word for word, but through its meaning and context. "You thought it is something else, isn't it?
Is there any rivalry between the Tagalogs and the Visayans?
technically none BUT there is some sort of unspoken annoyance and discrimination against each other…i am by blood from the north but was raised and born in the south…as far as i’ve experienced, when you’re in cebu and use the filipino language they will either respond in bisaya or ignore you… now, in davao it’s a different case. filipino(and english) is used as communication dialect among the middle&upper class (educated) while bisaya is used mostly in the streets.my mom, since moving from manila to davao for over 30 years never learned the dialect. she understands the words but she never bothered learning the dialect as she finds the dialect an inferior one. the tagalogs has that sense of superiority over the bisaya. i remember me being scolded in my younger years simply because i would respond in bisaya… so it was a house rule that we speak filipino at home… plus, as you’ll notice, bisaya speakers are often portrayed as household maids or are often playing a stupid character in most tv sitcom or movies (which also adds fuel to the fire) because most bisaya speakers may have that certain accent that’s off among tagalogs.the tagalogs also use the “saang probinsya ka galing” that often sounds condescending… the assumption that you are from the province often irks people… not that there’s something wrong with coming from the province, but it sends this vibe that you’re “ignorant” and this annoys people from the mid-portion and the southern portion of the country. cebu has long been a city. gensan is a city. digos is a city. tagum is a city. cagayan de oro is a city. zamboanga is a city. iloilo is a city.so “no” they don’t hate each other but “yes” there’s an unspoken discrimination due to the superiority complex of the tagalogs.
Can Filipinos manufacture tanks, guns, aircraft all by themselves?
Meaning without the help of the Americans. The Chinese done it after they dismantle the Russian Migs in the early 70's and now they have their own Chinese Migs. Together with their own version of guns and tanks. But what about Filipinos, can we do this or I am just asking a stupid question again regarding the Filipinos. Like I said I am a Filipino but I do not see such things would come to the Philippines. For starters, we are not great inventors like the Italians, Germans, Americans, British or the French. The Philippines has now many threats from foreign power especially China not to mention Taiwan and Vietnam. If we can manufacture our own tanks, guns and fighting aircraft by the end of the century, our fighting force will be secured. But looking at our chances of defeating foreign power is absolutely nil. We can be easily overcome just like the time the Japanese landed in Lingayen gulf in 1941. What do you think? thanks.(by the way, I recently ask one time before about flying in the Philippines if some of you remembered. There was a news of the Czech inventing that looks like a bicycle that can float. That looks like two turbine are attached to the front and the back of the bicycle. I am just curious how they make the bicycle float in the air. It is a prototype not yet sold in the market. So if they can think and invent one why not us? that is my point)
Is ISIS present in the Philippines? Why?
There are several insurgent/terrorist groups who claim allegiance to ISIS operating in the Phillipines. These entities have been around for years and some would be considered more criminal gangs running kidnap for ransom operations than motivated by religion or political ideology.We have to be careful about jumping to the conclusion that this is an actual expansion by ISIS. It's easy for the locals to adopt the ISIS brand and ride the fear factor associated with the name. But that's a long way from having any kind of subordinate role in relation to ISIS command.In fact it's most unlikely that ISIS has any substantial operational influence over such groups. They're having a hard enough time holding their own in Iraq and Syria. For them this is essentially a propaganda exercise that carries no direct risk or investment of resources. That's how al Queda spread its brand and we all know how well that worked for them.They're now a mere shadow of their former selves.