MEDIUM RARE
Yes, please, let’s have peace on earth even if it’s in pieces.
Ukraine-Russia. Israel-Hamas. In the Philippines, sporadic election violence, and all for what? Some barangay to-do and young politicians dabbling in politics.
In Pope Francis’ words, “Stop, stop!” referring to the ongoing conflict in that section of the Middle East that’s the cradle of the world’s major religions – Judaism, Christianity, Islam – thank God (in whatever language human and divine) it is not a religious war! The kingdom of the tribes of Israel dates back to 922 B.C. Christ was born 2,023 years ago. The Prophet Muhammad was born in Mecca in 570 and was inspired to preach a new religion in 632. Throughout modern history, however, that cradle has been rocked too often and too strongly by powerful men exchanging words, threats, and weapons.
To Christians, Christmas will soon be here, its glow to be felt all over the world, including, let us pray, the Middle East. The anticipated arrival of the Prince of Peace is a sure thing, in war and peace, even if peace as the world feels it today can be such an elusive idea. And no one knows it better than Filipinos living in Israel and Jordan.
As reported by our embassy in Beirut, many Filipinos residing in Jordan want out, away from the trauma-inducing tensions caused by the Israel-Hamas conflict. The Department of Foreign Affairs expects the number of Filipinos applying for repatriation to “grow a lot larger,” from an initial 59 (out of 17,500 expats) in the days to come. Looking back at how Pinoys based abroad have traditionally stuck to their guns, in a manner of speaking, in refusing repatriation under the most dire conditions, the news is, indeed, something new. We’ll know how bad the crisis is when embassy personnel are ordered to pack up and return to Manila.
In the meantime, DFA advised Filipinos to postpone their Christmas-themed plans of visiting Bethlehem, where Jesus was born. A great incentive for staying put instead of traveling to Israel comes by way of imagining our airport here and their airport over there during the holidays. Instead of a Merry Christmas, how would you like to experience an eventful, very crowded departure and return journey?