being nice with a military escort

i told you i don't like armed escorts, right? well, this time i'm not allowed to move around without one of them. my host would not allow me to go to places i wanna go without this guy. so, here we are, trying to be nice with each other. does my head gear look familiar? it's funny how people react as they see this soldier and i hop together from one island to another. hehehe!

some moments when i'm really afraid

the most scary moment in my work as a peacebuilder in mindanao is to hitch a ride from the military. this is the most dangerous situation that i have to be in at times--being seen by the common people riding in a philippine marines' truck. but there are times when i need to move fast from point a to point b--so, i take a ride with the military. though i'm afraid to be seen with the marines, i still have to smile... courtesy, you know.

a yakan leader expresses his heart and mind

listening to this yakan community leader in basilan is a mind-opening event. his memories of military atrocities in his home village prompted me to do more research about the joint u.s.-philippine military activities here in basilan and jolo in the past 25 years.