A time of tragedies

The news has certainly seen its share of tragedy these past few months – from plane crashes to the heartbreaking loss of the Fallen 44 – we’ve had our share of tragedies in the limelight and it seems as if they are coming in one after the other. It makes one pause and wonder why things seem to be reaching a boiling point and worry about whether things are going to eventually completely bubble over.

The Fallen 44 tragedy is something that serves as yet another horrible wake up call to our country to really decide what kind of government we want and what kind of accountability they want for those we put in power. We all raged and cried against the senseless killing of 44 of the special forces of the PNP, but the question remains – what happens now? Our indignation is touching and appropriate but without action it is nothing.

Probes, hearings and investigations are supposedly happening, but whether or not these yield any actual results remains to be seen. I, for one, am not interested in just punishing a “fall guy” and moving on with our lives. I think that for a tragedy of this scale, accountability needs to go all the way up the chain of command. It’s the only way to respect the lives that were lost and to truly give them justice. After all, isn’t it high time we demand real justice instead of band-aid justice that only gives us a hint of what we really want?

And while all of this is happening where does that leave the peace talks and the Bangsamoro Basic Law (BBL)? Support is waning in the Congress and I can’t blame them for taking a step back. While I am all for peace, I also know that this can’t be pushed through without first dealing with the current tragedy at hand. I wrote in a previous column that there can never be true peace with mutual respect and I know that both sides remain very apprehensive about that respect following the massacre in Mamasapano, Maguindanao.

And it was indeed a massacre and not just a simple “clash” or “mis-encounter” as the government spin masters would want the public to label it. While the government can label it as a fight gone wrong it doesn’t take a genius to see the true heinousness of what happened. Fighting is one thing, but terms of surrender were not honored, no quarter was given, and the brave men who fought were gunned down at close quarters even after they stopped fighting. It was a massacre. And those who don’t see that or recognize it are just kidding themselves. One only needs to see the videos that have been cropping up all over the Internet to see just how bad it was. I could only watch a few minutes before having to look away, it was that horrific.

So now we push forward, but this time it’s not only about pushing forward, but it also matters how we do it. Peace is a dream that we should all strive for, but we also have to make decisions anchored on reality, or we’ll be dead in the water. It’s pointless for the government to ignore the situation they find themselves in. Justice needs to be served and real talks about peace and any necessary revisions and upgrades on the BBL have to happen before it can be passed with respect and trust on both sides.

And speaking of tragedies, events in the last few weeks have proven that tragedies don’t just happen on a grand scale, they can occur in the home too. I am talking about the sudden and tragic deaths of the entire Hsieh family that happened last Feb. 7. Everyone was shocked to learn that the Chinese-Filipino parents of the three Hsieh children were so overcome by financial woes that they felt that it was a better option to leave the world together.

This is the type of tragedy that is sad, and also makes me angry. I won’t pretend to understand the intricate details of what the family was going through, but I think it was very selfish decision for the father (or both parents depending on which story you read) to make to take the lives of the kids into their own hands and decide that it’s best that they all die together. As a parent myself, I could never even imagine inflicting any harm on my child. The idea just goes against everything you’ve ever felt as a parent – you are your child’s first protector. They should always be able to feel safe with you; you should not be the cause of their fear or suffering.

I know that there has to be more to this story than we read in the papers. Despite being buried under debt or losing so much money, I have to believe there was also an element of mental illness or clinical depression involved that drove the parents to not only take their own lives but the lives of their children as well. This is actually a topic that is quite taboo in the country and needs more understanding so that tragedies like this can be avoided in the future.

I truly hope that this makes more people realize that mental illness is real. We need to all take steps towards creating a culture that is accepting of this instead of ostracizing. If we make those who suffer from mental illness or depression feel safe in sharing their feelings, we might be able to help them work past it. At the very least, we can help stop them from injuring themselves or others.