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Thursday, August 26, 2021

OPINION: Pencing by Mario O. Feliciano Jr.

WHY DO some Filipinos opt to remain in Afghanistan? Afghanistan is one country where no one dares to thread now. It’s all because of the Taliban takeover of the peace-loving Afghans’ capital city of Kabul, and its environs.

Now, its country that’s predominantly devout Muslim, and the rest (in faith) minuscule in number, has no way out to go to restore their freedom and democracy they used to enjoy and live the rest of their lives - until that fateful day of August 15 when everything has turned completely its opposite.

They’re now at the mercy of the highly-fundamentalist group - the Taliban - that was driven away from their short-lived power by the United States in 2001. Since then, the world’s supreme country was there with their American troops to secure their peace and order in the most harmonious way possible from the ousted Taliban-imposed rule. 

But as time begets time, the United States gov’t has eventually decided to withdraw its troops for good - after its 20-year long stint in Afghanistan to give a freehand for the Afghan people to rule their country on their own- sans any foreign intervention.

Fears however grip its countrymen who love liberty and freedom, mostly its women and children whose Taliban leaders strictly follow their own “misinterpreted” Sharia laws, prohibiting its women and children of their human rights, including access to education, basic health care, employment, and all other amenities they used to enjoy during the pre-Taliban conquer in the late 1990s.

All their rights suddenly lost, once again, that fast. That kind of scenario we saw on videos - depicting its chaotic and anarchic situation at its Kabul airport for their immediate mass evacuation, stifled us all in fear, as the whole world is watching continually its harrowing events unfolding in real time.

Its trouble (God forbid!) may even worsen in the days to come, as the Taliban leaders have refused to extend the deadline of the withdrawal period on Aug. 31. This is the worst part of it, because most political analysts said they see no change, at all, on their known cruel and repressive regime when these Taliban leaders came to power in 1996.

The United States intervened in Afghanistan when it launched its successful hunt on the late Al-Queda terrorist leader Osama Bin Laden - slain in 2011 by American forces - whose main stronghold in the Middle East was set up in its land-locked country.

Since then, the United States played a key role for the Afghan gov’t top officials to gradually regain their freedom and liberty from the hands of the ousted Taliban gov’t then-- described as most strict, cruel, and oppressive to women and children’s basic rights.

Afghanistan, under the Taliban regime, had one of the worst human rights violations in the world. Who then would like to work in Afghanistan under its re-emerged Taliban rule?

No one from a free world country, like ours, would dare come even near its shadow. The way they all frantically crowd the Kabul airport as they desperately hustle each other in a bid to catch a last-minute plane journey offered by the US military and its allied countries out of harm’s way in Afghanistan these days, is just nightmarish for us all TV viewers worldwide, in the throes of mixed feelings, while they’re  in a mad-rush situation out there at Kabul international airport that’s about to fall, sooner or later, too, in the hands of the Taliban wicked rulers upon the end of the withdrawal grace period given till only August 31.

Right now, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) reported that a total of 183 Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs) in Afghanistan have already fled to safety, and are being repatriated back home by batches. And 16 more have requested for their immediate evacuation back home, while 10 others have opted to stay where they’re right now even as the Philippine government has ordered their mandatory repatriation back to their home country, according to DFA.

I presume they have no other recourse but move on albeit being in that war-torn country for the sake of their loved ones back home, in dire need of financial support in these times of the multi-major crises that down us all the more in an immeasurable level.

Again, I tell you, the world is in the onset of difficulties, hardships and all turbulence it has never seen before in these modern times.

The man-made and all the natural disasters of all sizes are now imminently happening  before our very own terrifying eyes, and all we need to do is repent! Go back to the One who created us all, and this world will become new and pleasant once again the sight of our God Almighty.

The problem is, man is so difficult to handle with, that even God has a hard time to draw them back to Him.

Think well, my fellow Earthlings, this’s all about spiritual now, because I repeat this’s no longer just a physical or secular problem of man, but por Dios mio! A spiritual one. There’s a need to focus now on this so forgotten component in the life of man, as all of us will soon inevitably leave this world physically. But our souls, without God’s spirit in us, will surely be damned to darkness where hell rules forever. Only the people of God will go to heaven.

That’s for sure will happen to all of us on “Judgment Day.” I’m not scaring anyone, but that’s our spiritual reality in life, and whether we believe it or not, that’s still the truth, for our Lord Jesus himself has said, “I’m the way, the life and the truth; no one comes to the Father, except through me.” (John 14:6)     

Cheer up, guys, and see you soon just the same. God bless us all! (jayfeliciano2@yahoo.com)



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