The Price of Conviction

bulatlat.com 

In a country that holds freedom as its most important wealth, the rise of forced disappearances is a staggering reality that deems detrimental to its democratic foundations.

Jonas Burgos thought that April 28, 2007 was an ordinary day in his life. He went to a nearby mall to have his lunch. While enjoying his meal, a group of men approached his table, and abducted him. Little did his friends and relatives know that it was the last that they’ll see and hear of him. To this day, the Burgos family still remains clueless of Jonas’ whereabouts- or even if he’s still alive.

The search for justice is a most excruciating experience for the Burgos family. Despite being dragged into the public eye, Jonas’ brother, JL, alongside his relatives, friends, and colleagues, have already surrendered their hope of living in privacy and brought to the media their quest of finding Jonas. As years pass by, their dint of faith continues to flicker down. Yet, their love for Jonas sustains them to hold on to their frail hope, because they still believe that fate will favour them one day.

Jonas Burgos is just one of the 206 Filipinos who suddenly disappeared under the Arroyo Administration alone. Most of these individuals are journalists, alleged insurgents, workers, indigents, defenders of freedom and the oppressed. They are ordinary people fighting for their extraordinary causes.

They knew that they will have to pay for their dignified undertakings. But they never thought that the price would be this painful, that their families would have to endure the turmoil of them vanishing without a trace.

With the disappearance of freedom fighters like Jonas, a son is lost, a family is broken, a future is capped short of fulfilling its destiny. All that is left in the bereaved hearts of their loved ones are their worthy causes, and their precious memories.

When President Benigno S. Aquino III became the country’s Chief Executive, extra-judiciary killings have dramatically decreased. But friends and loved ones of disappeared persons believe that the Philippine government must expend their fullest effort to give justice by prosecuting the perpetrators.

Until that day, the family of Jonas Burgos, alongside those relatives of other missing individuals, shall anticipate for the return of their loved ones. Even when their loss of faith weakens them, they will still continue marching on the streets, light candles, and raise placards that seek justice for those who paid the price of their conviction.

These Philippine families will never stop fighting until the qualms in their minds have been answered, like those of other families around the world yearning for help.

orthodoxytoday.com

The story of Jonas tells us that sometimes, the hardest thing to do is to wait for someone who might no longer return. Look for something that can no longer be found. Above all, look for a dint of hope in a world filled with darkness, conspiracy, corruption, and injustice, and pray that one day, these missing individuals will find their way home.