They say the best way one can be saved when you fell into a quicksand is by not making any unnecessary move.
But come to think of it, when you have no one to bail you out of the sticky grave and you feel like you are already drowning, what option do you have left? Do you still have time even to think what to do or not to do?
There’s no telling how the President must have considered the many lapses being committed by those surrounding him and carrying out his orders, especially pertaining to his subordinates in the Armed Forces of the Philippines.
He might not be conscious about it but it just seem like he is “riding on” the whims and caprices of the people that he has trusted to pursue his “war against terrorists” in Southern Philippines.
But is the President also aware that there are things that are purposely hidden from his view? Sometimes the hardest part of leading a pack is that one cannot see what’s far behind. While one may be able to seemingly view everything at a glance from the top, it is illusory to think that the leader controls the whole system.
Sometimes the leader is not even aware that the system itself is slowly eating into his persona.
Once a leader mistakenly believes that he has a firm grasp over the situation, he is likely to lose his own sense of balance and can be easily misled by those who are out to manipulate the situation and make him do things that he would rather not, or against his better judgement.
The recent efforts from the Armed Forces to make the people of Marawi “understand” their situation and some of the Moro people’s spontaneous reactions like the Moro mother’s indignation, should warn authorities not to overdo things.
The Moro woman’s expression of incredulity (which was shown on television) over the wanton destruction of their homes brought about the incessant air strikes by the State forces was for her inexcusable, even with the Maute menace.
Already saddled with the struggle of living in squalor like many Filipinos, it is but natural for Maranaos to feel the injustice dealt on their city and on top of that, to be blamed by it.
It is likewise understandable that the rest of the Mindanaoans are in solidarity with the Marawi residents in silence. Even if there are some sectors in Mindanao who are said to support the crushing of the Maute group and the eventual destruction of Marawi City, it cannot be denied that many are dismayed over the incessant air strikes that have become seemingly whimsical.
It would do well for government to feel the pulse of this “silent majority” who are disapproving and critical, but prefers to be behind the scene and quietly observant.
While it may be said that the President’s decision still gets the nod of Filipinos as claimed by government apologists, the blunders cannot be ignored.
It still bode well for government servants to listen intently to what is not said openly, and be more sensitive to the needs of the people, especially those that are not expressed but felt by many.
It is the only way that the President can be helped from sinking deeper into the quicksand of militarism.
