Defenseless

MANILA, Philippines - There’s only one word that describes the Abu Sayyaf Group and those who support this group. They are merely “terrorists”, and there’s no other word that we can find in the dictionary that best describes them.

Recently, another brutal killing was made by the Abu Sayyaf to a public school principal Gabriel Canizares which I believed he was defenseless and meant no harm to anyone, but he was not spared by the Abu Sayyaf. I do believe that as a teacher, Canizares’ endeavor is to educate illiterate children and widen the wisdom of education in the island of Sulu. But his mission was shut off by the Abu Sayyaf. It clearly means that these terrorists do not want the people of Sulu, the next generation of Sulu to be educated because they are creating fears to every teacher who wants to teach in Sulu Island and its nearby provinces. The Abu Sayyaf and their supporters are pushing away all teachers who are always willing to teach and help their children, relatives and friends to read, write and be literate and competitive in the 21st century. They want them to remain ignorant forever. — ISABEL J. MASUREL, Zamboanga City