Passing Thoughts

There goes the unfair tagging again. Quite too often Mindanao is conveniently being made as benchmark for conflict, fear and danger by those who obviously have poor understanding of the island.

In a recent PDI story “P200,000 a month for a driver? Only in Afghanistan” which came out on 01/06/2011 page A4, a certain Carlo Echano of the so called Filipinos in Afghanistan (FIA) organization wanted the government to lift the ban on deployment of OFWs in Afghanistan, citing it’s much safer to be in the said country than “being in any of the slum areas in Manila or being in Mindanao.”

Mr. Echano’s juxtaposition of Afghanistan to stress that it’s safer than Mindanao is downright absurd and smacks of gross insensitivity to the people of Mindanao, majority of whom are no way nearer to the supposed danger Mr. Echano had wittingly or unwittingly implied.

The cause of OFWs in calling for concrete government action on the plight of Filipinos working abroad, particularly in widely recognized war-torn countries such as Afghanistan and Iraq is an endeavor worthy of support. But in a  tactless effort to project his message, Mr. Echano’s statement in reference to Mindanao is grossly unfair and bereft of sense and compassion.