Yt Framework

The rapid anddramatic political turmoil in African nations not only affects the thousands ofoverseas Filipino workers who are not only earning their keep but are boostingthe Philippine economy, it is also telling on the separatist adventurisms andthe condition of terrorist organization in south-western Mindanao. It has neverbeen a secret that these Islamic countries have secretly aided these movementsfinancially.

In fact there were times in the past when they virtually makeknown their support for separatists and terrorist bands to threaten governmentslike the Philippines to obey their rules and go slow on extremists elementsotherwise the oil spigots will be shutdown and more financial and arms willfind their way to these bands. For decades now the Philippines have to kowtowto whatever the fancy we have to surrender.

Not anymore. Theawakening in Libya, Tunisia, Egypt,Yemen, and other Arab countries andfundamentalist Islamic nations like Iran, is changing the rules of the game.The expectation is that the flow of terrorist funds will come to a trickle ifnot totally cut. We expect kidnap-for-ransom syndicates to raise the frequencyof their activities in order to shore up their finances. The separatistselements will have to come to terms with reality that their traditional backerswho resides in palaces are themselves threaten by the very monster theythemselves created and who are now after their carcass.

The OFWs maybeagonizing, but in some parts of Mindanao, people who are tired of conflicts andterrorism are actually celebrating. Already, some members of terrorist groupshave started to leave their comfort zones courtesy of the benefactors from the MiddleEast and Africa. They are forced to abandon their sanctuaries to scavenge forfood in the urban centres. One after the other they fell like their masters infaraway land.

by Menardo Wenceslao