last days in jolo 2

This is the 2nd installment of the last days in Jolo blog. As I have said, I write this as I remember. I'm sure there are details that I missed. Feel free to comment on facts that may not be straight especially in this installment. Remember, these events were percieved by an 11-year old :D

We moved to Lola Matitang's place just across in Martirez corner ( ? ) Streets. Her residence was on the 2nd floor of the building where Lawa's Cafe was located behind a gasoline station, if I remember right. The families who lived in the family compound that is now gone – the Tay's, Canlas', De Las Peñas', and others – crashed in with Lola Matitang for 2 nights. Electric power was out and the only means of finding out what was happening outside was through word of mouth.

This time, a big part of the town was ablaze. The sound of gunfire still permeated the air. When we received word that the fire was getting nearer, we had to move to another location again. With things in hand, we transferred to a hardware(Seng Hing?) owned by a relative. Inside were a lot of civilians just as ourselves. Hiding, taking cover, for fear of being caught in the crossfire. Meals were straight out of canned goods. We shared some of our provisions at the same time rationed them for we did not know how long it would all last.

By nightfall, the store was pitch black. You could hear babies crying as the gunfire sounded nearer and nearer. One or two or three stray bullets penetrated the door to the store. Some of us felt a splatter of sticky liquid in our skins. Surely someone got hit and it was his/her blood in my skin. People inside started screaming only to stop when we realized that the liquid had a strong but different smell. The stray bullets hit one or two paint cans, nothing more. And everybody breathed a sigh of relief.

The adults discussed what their next move should be to stay safe. There were 2 popular choices; flee to the mountains or march perilously to the pier/wharf in a chance to get a vessel away from Jolo. They created a streamer that had a large “CIVILIANS” painted on it. It was set. We were to go to the waterfront. We were a delegation of civilians attempting to reach the seaport. Most walked, others, like us squeezed into vehicles. We did not count how many of us were packed like sardines in our old Volkswagen Combi. But the whole family including our hotel guests were there. It still baffles me how we all fit into that small van and with our things in tow.

The short drive to the pier was arduous. More so to the droves who were walking. On one side of the street were the rebels. On the other, the military forces. And the civilians clung to each other as they made their way in between the opposing forces. I do not know how many casualties the civilians suffered. Those of us who made it through are the lucky ones. There was talk that the MNLF guns ceased firing while the droves passed. While the barrels of the guns on the other side turned hotter as the targets increased in number. Stories floated that the government forces suffered a lot of losses in the initial encounter so they were bent on retaliating no matter who got hit.

In the pier were navy gunships engaged in the battle. With their big guns firing, we had to alight from the van and make our way on foot with our heads low. I remember holding Mama's hand as we crawled over bloodied bodies. Mama did not even notice them I learned later. We were intent on crossing without getting hit. We were herded to a place in the wharf with thousands of other people. We took our place among them and tried to settle. At least there, we were away from the gunfire which started to wane as dusk came. Papa then was able to drive the van closer to where we were. The soldiers went around inspecting the the things of the throngs. When they reached us and the van and demanded that we open all the bundles in it. The bundled blanket which contained my parents' clothes and some other stuff was opened first. And there laid a crucifix. The very same crucifix that was in my parents' room for as far back as I can remember. The same crucifix we faced every night while praying the Rosary. When the soldiers saw that, they moved on to the next family.

My memory now fails me how long we stayed in that wharf. It could have been 1 or 2 nights. What I remember hauntingly, was the fear I had looking up that dark and cloudy night sky which was lit up by the savage flames that kept raging the town. The clouds looked like dragons or devils blowing their fiery breaths towards the earth. I never admitted it. But that image sometimes brought me bad dreams.

Then we heard angry voices. Soldiers shouting expletives. Apparently, they found a person with a side arm. And a souvenir grenade among the bags. I think the armed civilian was a bodyguard of Judge Eisma. He was brought to the edge of the wharf and ordered to jump or was pushed into the water. The next thing we heard were several shots coming from Armalite rifles. I am not sure what had happened. Did the soldiers just execute the judge's bodyguard? But that did not lessen the ire of the men in uniform. One officer shouted, “Pare-pareho kayong lahat!” and ordered that the 50-caliber machine gun mounted on the ship be trained on us. Everybody ducked. The catholics among us started, “Our Father, who art in heaven...”. The volume got louder and louder. I bet you even the non-catholics learned how to pray the Rosary right at that moment. And this somehow calmed the soldiers down.

I mentioned that we had 5 hotel guests with us. There was a couple, a male doctor and 2 naval officers. I remember that the navy officers threw away their uniforms and identification cards to be incognito. We never left them. Where we went, they went. A pregnant woman was brought up the navy boat. Then there were calls for a doctor among the crowd. Our doctor guest presented himself and was whisked aboard. We heard later that he successfully delivered the baby.

Somehow, the civilians were allowed to board the navy ship. It was crowded but we were relieved. There was a genuine chance to escape the war. But they made us transfer to another boat which was docked parallel to the one we were in. We had to jump or straddle over the deck of one ship to the other. There we settled. And after a few hours, the ship moved away from the port. It would bring us to Zamboanga City as refugees. Where life would start from scratch.

That was the last time I saw Jolo, Sulu. With a new lease on life, we never looked back.

Thanks for taking time to read.