LAOM LUOP 2016

Just a few months back, the pressure of having to study such a lot and the actual challenge to pass each and every exam given to us began to take their toll on me. I was losing my cool and I couldn't help but think about that day I could just lay down, watch a good movie and not worry about what else I have not or still need to read. Eventually, the community exposure became that light at the end of a very long, winding and dark tunnel and the thought of going to community sparked up a fire that kept me going. Aside from the fact that we would again be seeing the people we already learned how to love, the idea that I could think less about the academic side of a medical student excited me. It actually felt, for a moment, like I was living such a sedentary lifestyle that I could no longer manage to give time for myself to even just breathe. But the thought of the community drawing close made me actually realize that there could be a break from such a monotonous routine.

A Very Worthy Welcome

At last, the long wait was over. We took a trip down memory lane and reminisced the first time we had that long bus ride going to our community. During the trip, my classmates were quite noisy this time and I could feel that they also feel as ecstatic as I am that they could now have a break from having to read lectures and notes daily. We had the usual pit stops at Ipil, Sindangan and other municipalities, and after 8 long hours arrived safely at our community's Rural Health Unit where we were met by our Community Preceptor (Dr. Leigh Arouet Lluisma) and the other members of the RHU Team with a "Butung" Party. The smiles they had on their faces when they saw us and the hug they shared with us made us feel very welcome and at home - like they were sending a silent message of "We've waited for you for so long. Welcome Back!"

What Really Happened

I woke up, after 10 long hours of sleep, to the sound of my mother shouting at me, telling me to get up. I was rattled because it was only 6 AM and my class was not due until 9 in the morning which irked me a lot. But the sound of our radio made my stomach drop and I got quiet for a moment. It had been 2 years since my family last tuned in to the radio and usually if we did so, a horrible news was up front - and it was no different this time around.

What me and a very good friend had been talking about and dreading for the past few months has happened. It was something I have never seen or gone through (as I really have no memories of the Cabatangan Siege) and it's definitely not a good sight to watch. There were rumors of hostage-takings, videos of men covered and bathed in their own blood, and a group of people who seemed to be tied to one another. The reporters from the news mentioned a few barangays and my mind shot several different questions at once - Are my friends safe? Have they been caught in the gunfire? How long was the situation gonna last before resolution? Is everything gonna be okay after everything is over? Will we still have class even with the situation at hand? My mind could not find all the answers it sought so I decided to break into prayer and asked God to bless and guide all the innocent. When my mind was cleared, I messaged my classmates who I knew were directly affected by the ongoing crossfire and got relieved when I found out they were all okay.

Even though when everything was building up and getting blown out of proportion, I couldn't help but still trust that the government could put an end to whatever misunderstandings, arguments or clash they had with the opposing team - that everything would be back to normal when I wake up the next day. I was deeply wrong. Instead of the resolution I so wanted to see happen, the "war" dragged on for quite a while, causing damages along the way. Innocent lives taken, houses burnt down to the ground, several properties and belongings stolen or ransacked. The big question on my mind was "Who did what?". I could not really answer it so I settled with the fact that TIME might tell me soon.

A Pause for a Cause

Not surprisingly, classes were suspended until further notice and curfews were imposed. A sports complex and a few schools too served as shelter for more than 120,000 people from 5 to 6 barangays. What I think the "war" did to most of us was just instill fear and apprehension. For that matter, I stayed most of the 28 days at home doing my part of guarding our house (mostly just staying up until the early hours of the morning surfing the net) for fear that our barangay will be affected as well. The challenge too of the exam that was yet to come never left me so that the mental warfare that I have been struggling with intentsified.

What I liked though was that amidst the chaos and heavy emotions, people found time to offer the little things that they have to those affected and that gave Zamboanga the ray of hope that at the end of what seemed like years of famine and danger, a new beginning awaits. In our little way too, the Potentia Domus (ADZU SOM Batch 2016) class offered what we had by giving out several family hygiene kits that we felt the evacuees needed to avoid certain diseases brought about by poor hygiene practices. We could not have our community exposure too so we were most welcome to render our voluntary services to the ever growing population of the evacuees. Surprisingly, several of our batch offered their services even during the active phase of the crossfire. Most of us though were not allowed by our parents to leave our homes for fear that we could be victims of stray bullets and other forms of danger. But one thing was for sure - all of us were one in praying that the situation would be over soon and that no more innocent life be sacrificed or wasted.

Despite that desperation of not being able to go back to the community and have that 'mental' rest I have been wishing for so long, I was thankful that even with what had transpired, me and all of my classmates were safe. Many may have lost homes, properties and some have lost their loved ones along the way, but one thing I can be certain of is that every single one of us still has that HOPE inside of us.

Now it's been about a month since the end of the crisis, but the real challenge has just started - the challenge to start anew. We may not know or fully understand why these things happened, but we know that "Everything Happens for a Reason".

KEEF