Roberto Layson, OMI

In War,
the Real Enemy is War Itself

Edited by Gus Miclat and Adam Rudkin. Davao City: Initiatives for International Dialogue. 68 pages

In War, the Real Enemy is War Itself presents the ugliness of war as seen from the eyes of those who have no choice but to see it up close. This is the story of the most reluctant, but most adversely affected players in battle: the hapless residents of the war-torn communities in Mindanao. Fr. Layson takes us there to witness the rudely interrupted lives and irretrievable losses suffered by the evacuees. We learn their physical travails, mental anguish, and loss of dignity. We also learn of the valiant efforts of church and community workers who grapple with seemingly insurmountable odds to provide relief and assistance.

This book provides insight into the continuing cycle of aggression in Mindanao. We see the corrosive effects of the experience of war on the young evacuees, their minds filled with both fear and hatred which will eventually find expression in vengeance, thereby fueling another round of violent confrontations.

This book poses the hard questions that need to get answered before we can ever hope to have peace. Why are those in power blind to the human tragedy in Mindanao? Why is the peace process constantly sabotaged and derailed? Why war?

Gail Tan Ilagan, Faculty, Division of Social Sciences and Education, Ateneo de Davao University