Love the Enemy

Rustling through the woods, the footsteps get heavier. Panting, but never gets tired until at last he reached the lowland. The sun will rise soon so he hurried even more. He reached a small nipa hut and knocks the door.

“Papa!” Alice said as she rushed to hug his father. “Where have you been?” she asked further as she lets Ka Ernesto comes in the house. “I went to Santa Fe, the Shadow told me what happened there,” Ka Ernesto replied.

Alice hurriedly grabbed a coffee for her father. “What happened to Santa Fe?” she asked. “Armed men came to one of the farmer’s house in Santa Fe. They stayed there overnight but was not even contented of the fear they brought to the poor family. They even took the poor farmer’s chicken and pigs!” Ka Ernesto narrated with fury on his eyes.

“Who are these men?” Alice asked. “Ka Armando said they are from the military troops who are now invading Santa Fe and the nearby sitios,” Ka Ernesto replied. “How sure are they that they are from the military?” Alice asked further. “They wear military uniforms, besides, no one could do these unjust things except them!” Ka Ernesto exclaimed.

“So what’s Shadow’s plan now?” Alice asked with curiosity. “We will intensify our group to battle this out. Meanwhile, we will intensify our front groups to take protest on what had happened,” Ka Ernesto said.

Alice felt fear for her father. “You have to be more careful papa, it is a dangerous battle, you know that right?” she said.

Ka Ernesto reached for his battery operated radio and turned it on. “I know my dear, and I will be more careful. As long as my identity is hidden, you and I are safe.” He gently holds his daughter’s hand and look into her eyes. “You know why I am doing this. Someone should stand for justice. If we always let fear comes our way, then we are giving the oppressors more opportunities to abuse the vulnerable sector of our society.” Though frightened, Alice managed to smile to assure his father that she is on his side.

“Now, you have to start moving. You will be going to the school today right?” Ka Ernesto asked Alice. “Oh yes! Today is the enrollment of the kids so I have to go,” Alice said as she started preparing for breakfast. “That is good, I will also be going to the market to buy fertilizers for the grains.”

Alice nodded in agreement. Somehow she felt relieve that her father is back to his “normal” countryside life as farmer after being in the upland for a month. She knows that their lives are quite different from the usual. As a leader of rebel group called Shadow, her father would be away for quite sometimes. But her fright would even be stronger whenever she heard armed encounters between the military and the rebel group. All she is praying is for her father to come home safe.

It was clear on her memory how their unusual life begins. She was ten years old then with her family leaving a simple life. Until one day a rich businessman came to their sitio claiming the farms, which the folks had been tilling for a long time. The farmers, which include Ka Ernesto, were worried that the only source of their living will be taken away from them.

The Shadow group came to help them. “We have to secure the democratic rights of our people,” the leader of the Shadow said to them. With their assistance, the farmers organized themselves and protested against the land grabber. The military came to pacify the tension, but something went wrong. Out of nowhere, a gunshot echoed in the vast land and one farmer was shot and was dead on the spot. Gunshot follows one from another. Commotion spread all over.

Alice remembered that day, like a scar that would always remind her of the pain. Ka Ernesto went home holding her mother, wounded and lifeless. “Mama!” she exclaimed as she rushed to hug her mother. “She’s gone…” Ka Ernesto said in a trembling voice.

“The military shot her and the other farmers,” one of the Shadow member said. “Don’t worry Ka Ernesto, we will seek justice for your wife and for your fellow farmers,” said the other.

Alice was full of pain as they bury her mother. But her agony became deeper as Ka Ernesto decided to join the Shadow. She was confused, how can she survive without her mother and father on her side? “Should seeking justice mean taking more pains?” she asked herself.

She was young then and had no choice but to follow. She had to live with her grandparents in Santa Lucia while Ka Ernesto took the trail up in the highlands with the Shadow.

Alice was raised well by her grandparents. She became compassionate to the needy. Her painful past made her closer to the weak and helpless. It was after the death of her grandparents when Ka Ernesto came back.

Alice was very happy to be with her father again. However, Ka Ernesto never left the Shadow, in fact, he is among the leaders of the group. Part of their strategy is to mainstream with the community to better serve the needs of the people. “The war is not yet over. As long as there are people who are despised in the society, then we should continue to fight for our rights,” Ka Ernesto explained.

Alice may not fully understand, but she knows that her father is fighting for the good of the people. Besides, though ideology and principle will lead her father to the trail of the highlands, she knows that his love will lead him back to her.