On September 9, 2013, I remember waking up to the sounds of gunshots and reports on the radio that my hometown, the City of Zamboanga, was under attack by a faction of the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF), led by its chairman, Nur Misuari. According to the reports, they were burning key points in the city, and holding civilians hostage.
With our house being less than five kilometers from the center of the battle, my family and I lived in constant fear that it was only a matter of time before we got caught in the crossfire.
Those twenty frightening days - which later became known as the 2013 Zamboanga Siege - caused a lot of deaths- most bodies remain unclaimed in mass graves. Civilians were left traumatized as they were used as human shields by the rebels. More than a hundred thousand Zamboangueños were forced to live in evacuation sites with inhumane conditions. Tens and thousands of houses and businesses were burnt to the ground- including the company my father helped build for 20 years.
A month after the siege, I made a short film entitled, “Iyo Si Malik (I Am Malik).” It was about the effects of the armed conflict on two child survivors. I made that film to help me process the trauma that I personally experienced. To help me move on.
It has been eight years since the 2013 Zamboanga Siege. But unfortunately the nightmares are not yet over. The Duterte administration is seemingly revising history as he appoints Misuari to a government position. The president even expressed his intentions on dropping any previous charges filed by past administrations. It’s probably Misuari’s reward for supporting the president in the 2016 national elections.
The City of Zamboanga is still pursuing its case against Misuari for his crimes. And yet, as years go by it’s as if the government is giving him more and more power. And seeing him walking around as a free man, I can’t help but relive the trauma I experienced. This distress has pushed me into doing another film about that tragic event.
City of Flowers is an anti-war short film dedicated to the City of Zamboanga.
When we think of Zamboanga and Mindanao - we think of war and conflict. My film acknowledges this but insists that we are an island of hope and beauty. That is why I am still hopeful that justice will be served and it won’t be long for peace to bloom again.
© Xeph Suarez
