Actually, to be honest, I would prefer not to do GRP articles on weekends. Besides, I’m working on the 7th chapter of Deep and, not to worry folks, the voyage is almost over. However, after catching wind of some of the latest news, I cannot help but react to the way so many people are going nuts over the Rohingya boat people and Benign0’s last article about it.
Look, ladies and gentlemen, I am actually quite impressed by the way some people have chosen to reach out to these displaced people and have offered them hospitality. However, I am more than a little worried about some of our less than scrupulous fellows and how they may choose to take advantage of them. Already, the issue is growing into a media circus with many typical Pinoys clamoring about how “humane” the Filipino are.
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Now it’s true that there’s nothing really wrong with helping our fellow man. Unfortunately, I have never really known the Philippine government for being “humane” in almost any situation. If they ever really play the “humanitarian” card, they will either do it to excuse the actions of terrorists or somehow spare dangerous criminals from being judged by the law. If anything, the government’s seeming generosity towards these people is a good reason we should be more hesitant about accepting them into our midst.
Here are some conspiracy theories that have graced my mind:
There Could Be Terrorists Among Them…
No, I am not calling these the Rohingya Boat People terrorists. I know that would be inappropriate and petty at the same time. However, considering the way so many people are simply quiet about the issue, one is made to wonder.
Okay, this is probably going to seem far-fetched and might even seem downright discriminatory, but for the sake of the argument, do we know these people? Do they have proper identification that we can go by to make sure that they’re all who they claim to be? Well, since they’re refugees, I don’t think that will be likely. For all we know, members of ISIS could be hiding among them, waiting to rejoin their brethren in the MILF.
Insurgents have been known to use this kind of tactic time and time again. Wolves hidden among sheep, waiting for shepherds to get careless.
Other Filipinos Might Have Unsavory Plans For Them…
Well, again, let me tell you that the government has never really been a “humanitarian” organization. Just think of all the massacres and other crimes against humanity that have taken place over the years on our soil. Note that the government takes very little interest in them unless they are somehow involved or are forced to become involved.
Indeed, the media has already taken advantage of the issue, painting the Philippines as a kind of “sanctuary” for the displaced even though we are probably one of the least sanctified places here in Southeast Asia. Who’s to say that these same people won’t become victims of the same human trafficking occurring here in the Philippines.
***
I’m not against accepting them into our country but I think that we should do it carefully. Let’s ensure both the safety of the Rohingya Boat People as well as our own before we accept them with open arms. If we don’t, the Rohingya Boat People could just be jumping out of the frying pan and into a fire or, alternatively, that we could be expecting to have saved a puppy and found a dangerous adult king cobra instead.
I HAVE RETURNED TO LAY WASTE TO OUR ENEMIES!
Some of them could be terrorists. If the Philippines is really humanitarian. They should look at the Filipinos , living around the Garbage Dumps. These people survive: “isang kahig-isang tuka”…Even the Churches or any Religious Organization are blind to these Filipinos.
Any religion teaches to take care or be charitable to the poor…
It’s the Willie Revillame philosophy – “Who cares about poverty? I don’t really give a rat’s ass about being helpful and making a difference to society – I just need to get other people’s approval and appreciation! By handing over millions of pesos in a crappy noon time show, I will feel so loved and important because these poor folks will mindlessly wave their hands in the air when my theme song is played!”
This is the same BS you see in common Filipino folks, “public service” segments, political candidates, etc. The only reason behind ‘giving’ is to feel loved and accepted by the society they’re living in. There is no sincerity at all.
I don’t believe in your first theory; after all, if ISIS preachers and soldiers are so keen to join and boost the MILF, certainly they would employ more discreet and certain means and not by loading in a boat only to be tossed among countries like a ping pong ball. The rough treatment they may be getting in the sea and the refusal of other countries to take care of them may make them susceptible to ISIS propaganda however. So what is more plausible is that ISIS and MILF would see these boat people as recruits and that is just as unnerving.
I concur with you on your second point though. It may as well be the government’s move to boost their PR and nothing more. Sure, we may be saving the Rohingyas from their desperate situation, but are we even sure that we can provide a comfortable refuge for them? The government and the people would most likely forget them the moment the media frenzy dies down, and thus they would be susceptible to more desperate and dangerous situations, like human trafficking as you have mentioned. If we can screw up Yolanda rehabilitation and are unable to provide for those displaced by the Zamboanga crisis, how much more are we able to give a good life and refuge to these people, who are not even white American “poriners”?
Racism, Islamophobia, terrible government record…. Hay nako nalang.
ISIS is doing everything to expand its Caliphate…this is the Reality…they could use refugees.
The Boston Marathon bombers in Massachusetts, were refugees from Checknya, Russia…
Live for your country, die to yourself; live for yourself, die to your country.
The secret is…good and evil are a myth. There is only the selfish, selfless, and those in between.
Selfish is evil while selfless is good. That is beyond a myth.