May 29 Zamboanga Bombing

Finally the sun was out and everyone was glad to be able to enjoy the last few days of summer without the rains. The traffic early that morning was steadily growing into a pack but still manageable until school day traffic. The army dependents were waiting in front of the Edwin Andrews airbase for the scheduled C130 flight to Manila. Some on the flight to prepare for the coming school year. some to start jobs in Manila. Others to get the last chance to fritter away the last few days of the vacation.

There was an announcement a delay because of the US ambassadors visit to Pagadian and the President's visit to Tawi tawi. The passengers became restless. Some have scheduled appointments for that morning. but everyone was ready for the hitches, it was a free ride anyway. The sun was slowly drying the dew off the cemented pavement. The vendor of the fruit stand across the gate began his daily routine of arranging ripe papayas tied with straw on nails attached to roof beams of his makeshift stall. The bananas were packed on a box underneath a plywood table. He opened the wooden crate filled with marang and the passengers suddenly were hit by the intoxicating smell of the fruit.

The owner of the barbecue stand near the Blue Diamond started cleaning the grill by scraping the fat drippings and the sweeping the bamboo sticks strewn on the ground. The sari-sari stores were opening shop. The jeepneys and motorcycles hug the road going to the camins intersection like they all own the road without any consideration of other vehicles running the same street.

It was a clear hot sunny day. Then a person riding on the back of the driver of a motorcycle threw a package towards the waiting passengers across the base gate.

23 injured. 2 dead. I am not sure of the statistics. I do not understand why they do this. This place could be beautiful but they choose to make it otherwise and they seem not to be affected about it. Parang okay lang sa kanila na ganito. So I do not dream of change of development here. What is here is what this place can offer. Yun na yun. don't go on lofty ideal setting for things, but just go on with the flow.