Tears of joy

Published by the Visayan Daily Star Publications, Inc.

NINFA R. LEONARDIA Editor-in-Chief & President

CARLA P. GOMEZ Editor CHERYL CRUZ Desk Editor PATRICK PANGILINAN Busines Editor NIDA A. BUENAFE Sports Editor RENE GENOVE Bureau Chief, Dumaguete MAJA P. DELY Advertising Coordinator

CARLOS ANTONIO L. LEONARDIA Administrative Officer

Even while they were delivering their speeches and sharing their sentiments over the initial conclusion of the much-longed for and desired agreement intended to end the long-running conflict in Mindanao, one could see how the partakers in the procedure that had led to the signing yesterday could hardly hold their emotions and their attempts to keep their tears from falling. Even the men were seen going emotional as they expressed their happiness and hope for the success of the endeavor.

A leader of a group aligned with the Moro Islamic Liberation Front, the other party in the negotiation with the government, was reported to be unabashedly crying, with tears rolling down his cheeks, which he described as “tears of joy”. They expressed his, and his people's happiness at the thought that the days when they had to fight and flee, and bundle off their families to keep them from harm to some evacuation sites where normal lives became unreachable to them for so many decades, were over.

The tears, no doubt, also shed by so many others, both men and women as well as children of the affected communities, also expressed their hopes for a much better life in which they can enjoy the privileges and benefits their former existence as rebels could not provide them.

There is no doubt, too, that many other Filipinos wept tears of joy for them and their country because of the prospect of uniting and accepting each other as brothers and sisters under one government, and one future.

There will be a lot of hurdles yet to be overcome after this first step towards harmony and peace. But with the sincerity and determination shown by the stakeholders, we hope those will also be smoothed out as quickly as possible so that we can all march on towards the fulfillment of our mutual dreams for Mindanao, the exotic area of our country that hold so much promise. Let the tears that will fall henceforth only be those of joy, and never again of fear, hostility and loss.*