One of the unfortunate side effects of the killing of Italian priest Father Fausto Tentorio is the inevitable painting of Mindanao as a "lawless" land. Media reports on the murder have invariably included such adjectives on the island, calling it "conflict-ridden", "war-torn", "troubled", and man others. The foreign wire services have also taken pains to give a background of Mindanao, saying this is where Islamist militants operate, where kidnap-for-ransom gangs abound, and where the Al Qaeda has a presence through the Abu Sayyaf. All this despite the fact that the killing occurred in a small town in Arakan Valley, North Cotabato, and despite that it was perpetrated not by terrorists but by either the military or business interests in the mining sector.
We understand the negative generalization o Mindanao, of course. Being far away from the national capital, not many people around the world know where the island even is, much less what the actual condition in it is. But these generalizations are what kills the island and scares away visitors and investors whose presence would enrich Mindanao culturally, socially, and economically. Prior to Father Tentorio's death three countries had already issued travel advisories on Mindanao, telling their respective nationals to avoid traveling to the island: Britain, the U.S., and Australia. Now we add also Italy, the good priest's home country, and we are the poorer of it.
Again the reaction of the Italian government is understandable, but it would have been better if it - and the three other countries - give specific areas for their travel advisories instead of lumping all of Mindanao togeter. As we Mindanaoans say, the island is not the war-torn, conflict-ridden, troubled place that the media paint it to be. Mindanao is beautiful and its people peace-loving, we say, we are sure that Father Tentorio, as an adopted Mindanoan, would say the same exact thing.
(Reposted "Editorial" from Mindanao Daily Mirror with friendly permission of my publisher and Editor-in-Chief Marietta F. Siongco as well as Society Editor, Health Journalist and General Manager Ana F. Basilio).
