Of cops and children

The hidden costs of war in Mindanao

PCIJ FILE PHOTO

THE CLASH between rebels and policemen that led to the deaths of more than 60 members of the elite Special Action Force in Mindanao has once again drawn attention to the southern Philippine island.

Questions are now also being raised if the incident, which Interior Sec. Mar Roxas said was a misencounter, could affect peace efforts after the signing of the final agreement between the Philippine government and the MILF.

The deaths of the SAF troopers highlighted the fact that war costs lives, an ugly fact in the decades-old conflict that has rocked Mindanao since the 1970s.

INFOGRAPHICS by Cong B. Corrales

Beyond the deaths of soldiers, rebels, and civilians in Mindanao, however, there is another more tragic cost of war: its effects on children.

In this 2012 article written by former PCIJ Multimedia Head Ed Lingao, Mindanaoans weighed in on the effects of war on the future generation.

“If the children are allowed not to get an education, they are prone to be criminals in the future,” he remarked during our brief encounter. “Our observation way back from 1972 up to the late 1980s is that the active lawless elements of today are the product of those babies born at that time.” – Tipo-Tipo Mayor Ingatun Estarul