Let’s have world peace

Those of us who went through World War II recall that it was supposedly fought to put an end to all wars. Now, many are speculating that the escalating violence in Lebanon may give rise to a third World War. That is something that the world can definitely do without. It is true that we have many global problems, but they can only be solved and should only be resolved through peaceful measures. The situation between Lebanon and Israel is a lose-lose situation. The problem is to convert it to a win-win situation and that means resolving the problem only through peaceful means.

The world is now a global village and a war anywhere affects the rest of the world. Another war would automatically mean an atomic war and that is the kind of war that all nations stand to lose. Atomic bombs should have been banned totally. Unfortunately, it is the most powerful nations that have the bomb and they stand most to lose. We hope to live to see the day when atomic power is developed to be used only for peaceful pursuits. We don’t want to see another Hiroshima. Manila was the second most destroyed city in World War II. But Hiroshima did not deserve an atomic bomb. True it put an early stop to World War II but it also opened the way for more devastating wars. The atomic bomb is now one of the worst world problems.

In the Philippines, we have really been very fortunate because we are within the Pacific Ring of Fire, yet we have had no devastating typhoons, volcanic explosions or earthquakes for quite a long time. Most persons residing in Metro Manila cannot even recall when a truly bad typhoon or a very destructive earthquake hit Metro Manila. True we have had landslides and floods in many places such as Baguio and Malabon, but no real calamity has hit the country for sometime now.

Our worst problem today is our overseas workers in Lebanon. Our overseas workers are our present day martyrs and heroes. They have contributed so much foreign exchange to our economy. The country should do everything possible to alleviate the plight of our OFWs in Lebanon. Everything should be done to bring home every individual worker safely back to his country. Sad to say, when they get home they will be confronted with the problem of media men and activists being assassinated in many parts of the country. President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo has given the Armed Forces and the police a 10-week deadline to identify, arrest and prosecute the persons behind these murders. Some people suspect that the reason no suspects have been identified or arrested is because the military and the police themselves may be behind these killings. But they do not support their accusation with evidence. So the accusation is mere conjecture. What we need are facts.