I could still recall that the sun was not yet up when I woke up during the dawn of September 9. I thought I heard the sound of my usual alarm, but I was still muzzy and puzzled to see a lot of missed calls from a friend. I was prepared for a day fully packed with classes from morning until afternoon. I slept earlier after me and my group mate prepared a letter to ask for recommendations from our dean for our project proposal for Barangay Delusom addressed to the DOH office. Then I received a text from our group leader that our scheduled bedside for that morning was cancelled by our facilitator because it was unsafe. “Unsafe?,” I slothfully texted back. Still groggy, I patiently read his reply. He said that a faction of the MNLF entered our city and we were under siege. It’s then I realized that my friend that called me earlier was in the affected area. Still hopeful though, I texted my friend to stay safe. I get up from my bed, and though I’m hearing gun shots that morning, there is this confidence on the local government, that the siege would not last long. But it didn’t.
Zamboanga was covered by fear. People count days as the siege continues hoping not another day of it would come. Classes were suspended. Lives were lost as days go by. Every day, more and more house burned down to the ground and more and more people are displaced and live a life being the “vulnerable” evacuees. Most of us who were not affected stayed at home to keep ourselves safe. Because we feared for our lives, it took us a week to make a stand and offered our help to the victims. Led by president of the student body, along with Team Gakit, Team Delusom, and other members of Potencia Domus (ADZU-SOM Batch 2016) we organized a relief operation to provide HYGIENE KITS for the families displaced during the Siege. The kits contain soap, toothpaste, toothbrush, shampoo, and detergent soaps as well. In our own way, our class gave out what we could offer to our fellow Zamboanguenos affected by the crisis. It was a little act of humanity that we offered but the feeling of being able to help gave us fulfillment within ourselves. The siege went on and even escalated. Fearing for our lives, my parents decided to send me with my siblings to Cagayan just in case the worst scenario could happen. My other classmates, fled too. Although some of them were left here and continued to offer their service at the Zamboanga City Grandstand, which quarters almost a hundred thousand evacuees. We know it’s our nature to help, but as human beings it is too our nature to ensure our survival.
During my days in Cagayan, I’ve been counting days that the war had wasted. These include the opportunities that the city had lost, and the opportunity of the neighboring places from the school’s programs was even affected. The Siege ended, and part of the things that I realized, is that our community exposure was cancelled. We know that a lot of the activities scheduled for the exposure would have to be rescheduled and would affect our way to achieve our goals for our community. But in the end, as peace reigned over our city, I believe we are still blessed that we are alive to fulfill those goals we have set.
-Ferzada Sajiran
Zamboanga was covered by fear. People count days as the siege continues hoping not another day of it would come. Classes were suspended. Lives were lost as days go by. Every day, more and more house burned down to the ground and more and more people are displaced and live a life being the “vulnerable” evacuees. Most of us who were not affected stayed at home to keep ourselves safe. Because we feared for our lives, it took us a week to make a stand and offered our help to the victims. Led by president of the student body, along with Team Gakit, Team Delusom, and other members of Potencia Domus (ADZU-SOM Batch 2016) we organized a relief operation to provide HYGIENE KITS for the families displaced during the Siege. The kits contain soap, toothpaste, toothbrush, shampoo, and detergent soaps as well. In our own way, our class gave out what we could offer to our fellow Zamboanguenos affected by the crisis. It was a little act of humanity that we offered but the feeling of being able to help gave us fulfillment within ourselves. The siege went on and even escalated. Fearing for our lives, my parents decided to send me with my siblings to Cagayan just in case the worst scenario could happen. My other classmates, fled too. Although some of them were left here and continued to offer their service at the Zamboanga City Grandstand, which quarters almost a hundred thousand evacuees. We know it’s our nature to help, but as human beings it is too our nature to ensure our survival.
During my days in Cagayan, I’ve been counting days that the war had wasted. These include the opportunities that the city had lost, and the opportunity of the neighboring places from the school’s programs was even affected. The Siege ended, and part of the things that I realized, is that our community exposure was cancelled. We know that a lot of the activities scheduled for the exposure would have to be rescheduled and would affect our way to achieve our goals for our community. But in the end, as peace reigned over our city, I believe we are still blessed that we are alive to fulfill those goals we have set.
-Ferzada Sajiran