Your 2 e-mails are really mind openers..My answer to the first one is as follows:
There are lots of gray areas in Law, Philippine or Canadian. I had my taste of both..It is in those gray areas where lawyers make a "killing" I believe. They are paid a bundle for it. Lawyers know how to "interprete" it, bend it a little bit, try to make black appear as white, or to make a suspect "innocent" even if he has just blown out the brains of somebody.
In the case of the poor Kannaway, it is tough because there are just a few animal advocates back home. If there are, they would belong to a very small minority and they would be the butt of jokes and criticism..Unlike here in Canada or in the US. If you hurl a rock at a damned squirrel because he/she is digging up the tulip bulbs you planted last fall and a neighbour reported you to the SPCA, then you are in trouble..As a newcomer in North America once said: "This place is amazing: If you run over a person, you MIGHT go free but if you run over a bird or a squirrel, you will be fined.." We can only TRY to save the poor Kannaway, but not to the extent of losing our own just in case the poacher is really hungry and he is brandishing a weapon he can turn on us...
When I was in Hawaii, I was talking with a very kind hearted lady who came from Asingan, went to Mindanao and then she and her husband started to build a good life and home in this promised land. They could never do the same in Asingan. As soon as the farm was planted and was yielding good harvest, some Muslims allegedly came, wanted the land back and when the husband said NO, they killed him, just like that..It is so easy to brand them as murderers, but again, that's what they just did.Murder in cold blood..She could have filed charges and let the law have it's way..But then...
The lady is now in Hawaii, leading a very good life with her family including numerous grandchildren..Again, there is that big question of WHY? Why do bad things happen to good people all the time?
If I know the answer to this question, I would not be here right now typing this blog..
******
2 comments:
I know of a similar story. I am Mindanao- born and bred by the way, but my parents are from Pangasinan and grandparents are from different Luzon and Visayas provinces.
Without going to details, Ill tell of an Ilocano, a scion of a leading justice, went to mindanao, same thing cultivated the land and some people, native Muslims murdered him.
His son said," pinakain mo sila, binigyan mo ng trabaho, parang kapatid na ang trato ng tatay ko, ganun pa ginawa!" Then he apologized and asked if I were a Muslim.
Well, the answer is simple, it was plain murder. But let us look deeper. I must warn though that murder is murder. This is just to elucidate the deeper issues.
Similar to the Jews claiming Israel, the palestinians claiming their own. Fact is, our Muslim brothers own the land in mindanao. Seems preposterous but true. Same rationale why we are claiming Sabah. It was a sultanate under the Sultanate of SULU.
It is their land, their ancestral land. But it wont do that they will murder, or forcefully drive the present owners. We have a legitimate existing govt, and all things must be done thru law.
Some people from Luzon bought the land from the muslim natives. Some muslim want it back, without paying. That is not right.
But really, some people from Luzon also grabbed the land, and fooled the uneducated muslims to give up their land. remember the first entry of canned sardines? A bagful of sardinas would buy a 13 hectare land, the illiterate and wide-eyed muslim didnt know more.
Addendum:
Lest others may mistake us, we use Muslims only because that is the way we used to refer to our brothers down south, but we know they are people like you and me. funny we dont address ourselves as Kristiyano, but refer to each other by our province, as Ilocano, Pangasinan, Bisaya etc.
As we all know Muslim is Islam, like Christians is to Catholic and the different Protestant denominations. we should refer to them more as Maranaos, or Tausugs etc, much as the natives of the north are Itawis, Kalinga etc.
My brother was so guilt ridden about the possibility that we got our land via force or cunning, that he sold his part and bought a subdivision lot in the city. I kept my own, though it is as good as sold, because the tenants have been there for so long, and yes they are muslims, and practically they dont give my share of the harvest anymore. I plan to give them the title soon. Mine is not for guilt but as a goodwill and help, i know the family of the tenants and I just want them to have it.
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