A war year

The year started with a note of hope: the Taliban was out of Afghanistan, al-Qaeda was on the run and Osama bin Laden was nowhere to be found. Now the year is closing with a touch of despair. An Islamist group based in Southeast Asia, widely believed to be affiliated with al-Qaeda, has struck in Bali, Indonesia. And the grinning bomber’s only regret is that he thought all those white Aussie fatalities were Americans.

And Osama – by the Americans’ own assessment – is alive, probably not as well as he would want to be, but strong enough to continue plotting against the "Great Satan" Uncle Sam.

I remember our elders telling us when we were younger that they hoped we would not live to experience a world war. Although many of them were just children during World War II, they remembered the deprivation, the hardscrabble existence in a nation under siege. They remembered their parents hawking vegetables, making their own soap, avoiding the Japanese. Their memories were of food, giving you a hint of what they lacked the most during that period. Those who remained in Manila remembered vats of soy sauce being brewed by the Japanese occupation forces. And they all remembered Liberation, when the Americans gave away GI rations with chocolate bars (Butterfingers, Baby Ruth) and fruit cake. Among the main courses: corned beef hash, ham and egg, canned turkey. That’s heaven for those who’ve subsisted for four years on camote and camote tops.

We were too young for Korea and Vietnam. Now my generation has its own world war. At least that’s what the war on terror is supposed to be. More than a year after Osama and his cohorts struck the first major blow, many of us still can’t tell who’s winning or losing this war.

The murky nature of the war is probably one reason US President George W. Bush is hell-bent on taking out Iraqi strongman Saddam Hussein. Bush needs an indisputable victory in this war without borders and where the enemy is unseen. With Osama bin Laden rising again, hitting Saddam gains added urgency.

* * *

Because of this war our year opened with the return to the Philippines of GI Joe. President Arroyo’s popularity rose with every arrival of American troops with their Black Hawks and Chinooks. Survey after survey showed high public support for the return of the Americans.

The joint Philippine-American operation in Basilan, however, was a microcosm of the global war. The Abu Sayyaf fled the island, but chieftain Khadaffy Janjalani escaped even before the Americans arrived. Aldam Tilao, a.k.a. Abu Sabaya, was shot dead, but he disappeared into the sea so to this day some people are still expecting him to pop up again, still wearing his trademark sunglasses. US-backed Philippine troops rescued one Abu Sayyaf hostage but lost two. Then the GIs packed up, leaving behind a couple of American military engineers and medical personnel in Basilan.

Not much of a global war, if you ask me. After a while the novelty of the Americans’ return wore off. Occasionally we were reminded of the terror threat by bombings in Mindanao and Metro Manila. But we’ve had such attacks even before Sept. 11, 2001. The attack in Bali was horrific, but because there were no Filipinos involved (although our consulate in Manado was bombed), we quickly forgot about the tragedy.

* * *

Throughout most of the year we also followed the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. We were appalled by the suicide bombings. But after a while we also got used to the endless cycle of Palestinian attacks, Israeli retaliation and the sight of Yasser Arafat going on for days without a proper bath, hemmed in by the Israelis. If both sides wanted to cancel each other out, what could the world do?

Last year we held our breath, stunned by the awful malevolence that led to 9/11. This year we learned to live with terror. We got used to taking off our shoes at airports, and spread text jokes when our Senate president demanded – and was denied – special treatment. There was no public outcry when the Americans sent back Pinoys staying illegally in the United States, many of them in handcuffs.

We thought there would be action in Iraq. But Bush gave the United Nations one last shot at weapons inspections.

* * *

By the so-called —ber months we had gotten tired of the war on terror and were raring for a change of scenery. That came in the form of scandals. And that was when the ratings of President Arroyo started slipping.

The year is ending with Americans still on our minds – but not because of any war on terror. We were treated to the comedy of the season when US marshals decided to lose the two sidekicks of Manila Rep. Mark Jimenez on their way to the US mainland.

Vice President Teofisto Guingona Jr. does have a point when he complains about the Americans’ treatment of a Philippine congressman as a violation of human rights and an insult to the nation. But because Filipinos hold lawmakers in such low esteem these days, many people found only hilarity in the indignant rage of MJ’s bodyguards, Surigao del Sur Rep. Prospero Pichay and Bulacan Rep. Willie Villarama. Such passion, such loyalty! Was Villarama also that loyal to Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo once upon a time?

Our interest in the war on terror is bound to be revived at the start of the year, when Bush is expected to finally launch his attack against Saddam and oil prices are sure to hit the roof. The economic fallout from 9/11 continues to be felt – the year will open with more bankruptcies to be declared and more jobs to be lost.

No, our elders never thought war could be like this.