The headlines lately were nothing but all about the raging war in Basilan and Sulu. For some, it’s no longer new. It’s a cycle of violence. Soldiers die, residents flee and generals would say “we are winning the war.” Crap. Both sides are losers.

I’ve covered the war in the past. I understand… some may survive and some may not gonna make it out alive from the combat zone. Last Saturday, I got a text from my sister that one of her friends was among of the five junior officers killed in the clash with the bandits in Basilan. I didn’t mind it at first. Until I learned that 15 Marines were killed in the early morning battle. One of them is our relative — Pfc. Renaldo Pedroso. Five of them were young lieutenants–graduates of the Philippine Military Academy ages from 22-24 years old. Too young. There were 10 others who were also wounded in the clash.

And yet the generals claim it as a “successful” and denied that there were lapses that led to the death of 15 Marines. Imagine, in less than a two months, at least 50 soldiers were already killed in separate encounters. Can you call that a success?

As these things unfold, I remembered the song of Ely Buendia “Unsung Heroes,” which was included in the Happy Battle album of Francis Magalona back in the late 90s. The song goes like this:

Unsung Heroes
my friends and i we went to war
we came from far
we saw the soldiers die
we saw the children cry

across the raging seas
we came to fight for peace
our rise was just a dream
the blood is on the screen

chorus:
from a war we came
from a war we march with glory
from a war we say heyhey(x2)
when the wounds have healed and the war us through
and all were dying just to say(x2)

heroes they greeted us
but we really felt like trash
the more deserving ones
are lying beneath the ground
the memories haunting me
will last eternally

im crying in my rage
a useless war was wage

Click here to listen to the song

Indeed, a useless war was waged. So many lives were wasted and many dreams were shattered. Soldiers come and go but the war will always be there. Is really like that? I don’t believe that war will always be there. I believe, we can do something to put an end to this useless war. But I others will never ever believe. They always wanted war to happen for some (stupid) reasons.

Related stories:
The Marines were fed to the dogs
General walks out of press conference

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