“A single innocent life lost to senseless act of terror anywhere in the world is an affront and an outrageous and atrocious assault on humanity’s collective dignity.” — Carlos Zarate, second nominee of Bayan Muna Party
By MARILOU AGUIRRE-TUBURAN
Davao Today
DAVAO CITY, Philippines – What started as a happy, lively marathon for both professional and amateur runners has turned into a tragedy.
The people of Boston, Massachusetts in America and across the globe were shocked when two explosions occurred near the finish line of the Boston Marathon, Monday afternoon (Tuesday morning in the Philippines) leaving at least three dead, including an eight-year old child, and over a hundred injured.
“A single innocent life lost to senseless act of terror anywhere in the world is an affront and an outrageous and atrocious assault on humanity’s collective dignity,” Carlos Zarate, second nominee of Bayan Muna Party-list, tells davaotoday.com.
Deputy Presidential Spokesperson Abigail Valte, in a statement posted on Malacañang’s official Facebook page, says the Aquino administration joins the international community in extending their sympathies to those who have lost their loved ones. They also offer their prayers and best wishes for the recovery of those who are injured.
Boston, according to Valte is where Aquino and his family stayed during the Martial Law years. Many Filipinos are also living there now.
Meanwhile, Teddy Casiño, senatorial bet of Makabayan People’s Coalition, says he sympathizes with the victims as he points out that “any attack against the civilians is unjust” regardless where it happened and whether Filipinos are the victims or not.
The Department of Foreign Affairs, based on news reports, says that no Filipinos were reportedly hurt in the incident, so far. There were about 10 Filipinos who participated the marathon.
A runner himself, Casiño hopes that the tragic incident won’t discourage runners in participating future running events, noting that the Boston Marathon continues to inspire people of the values of a good mind and a good body.
Renato Reyes, secretary-general of Bagong Alyansang Makabayan in the National Capital Region, also expresses his sympathies to the civilian victims.
The marathon is an annual event hosted by several cities in Greater Boston held every Patriot’s Day, or every third Monday of April. It is the world’s oldest marathon which had its beginning in 1897. This year, a total of 24,662 runners competed for the 26.2-mile run.
Condemnation
As the tragedy continues to unfold, Casiño says that the “dastardly act,” whatever its motives are, “deserves the strongest condemnation of people of the world.”
He adds that those responsible “must be hunted, jailed and punished” in a manner, which he notes, that would avoid collateral damages to innocent civilians; a character he has seen over US’s response on so-called terrorist attacks.
The lawmaker calls for an immediate and truthful investigation of the incident.
Bayan’s Reyes says the tragedy should not “be used to justify another US war” or to be used to justify heightened domestic repression in the name of “fighting terror.”
It can be recalled that after the September 11 attack that hit the World Trade Center and the Pentagon in New York in 2001, and left about 3,000 people killed, the US government under then George Bush launched the Global War on Terrorism.
Nations that were deemed US enemies or “terrorist” were attacked, including Afghanistan and Iraq.
Under current President Barack Obama, the war continues targeting still Afghanistan and Syria among others.
“The Boston incident is condemnable in as much degree and rage as the senseless loss of innocent lives by the drone attacks by the US in Afghanistan and other parts of the world,” Zarate points out. (Marilou Aguirre-Tuburan/davaotoday.com
