Four hours later, I woke up to an empty house.  For the first time in a very long time, I went to check gmanews.tv and inquirer for some news about the Philippines.  What I found was really very disturbing, enough to get me a bad migraine and pop another round of painkillers.  Call it funny, I felt my heart tighten so bad it hurts more than the spasms I was experiencing this morning.   I learned about the massive killings in the southern part of the Philippines, all for the filing for candidacy.  I was politically shaken and emotionally disturbed that a lot of people were killed for one man’s selfish ambitions.  Up to now, I keep shaking my head in disbelief over this massacre. As of the last news post, 57 innocent lives were brutally raped, killed and mutilated. All for what? For the filing of candidacy?

This led me to question the motive – Is this a failure of governance?an abuse of democracy? a misuse of power? or plainly a result of greed? When will we ever see a clean, honest and fair election?  When will we ever see the Philippines rise up to the challenge of a free nation?

I am aghast at how greedy people can become.  The extent they go for the sake of power is beyond humiliating for any Filipino — It is downright disgusting. Call me a cynic, but I never believed that people in power in the Philippines could handle democracy, or at least the majority of it.  Maybe in some ways, freedom has brought us somewhere. But in a lot of ways, it has also pushed us back way below the poverty line, making the economic turmoil in the Philippines as visible as it is today.

Though this incomprehensible bloodbath is not a viable indicator of poverty, it is clearly a manifestation of the great divide, of people in power and the powerless, of the rich and the poor, of the masters and the slaves.  In the absence of a clean, honest democracy,  the autonomy in Mindanao has resulted to a hapless, pitiful form of Anarchy.

Photo shows flowers offered by journalism students during a rally condemning the Maguindanao massacre at the foot of the Chino Roces Bridge in Manila yesterday - JonJon Vicencio

This is very shameful news, indeed.  The brazenness and brutality of this action is beyond reprieve.  We can only say sorry and offer prayers to the victims of this tragedy, but to the families left behind by the bodies lying in these mass graves – the onset of fear, the excruciating pain of loss and grief, and the anger over this senseless killings will haunt them every single day of their lives.

So, what happens next? What happens to these families with shattered hopes and dreams  Perhaps, the government will drive down the hunting to grant them justice they deserve.  Perhaps, they will get something back from the government in order to repair their lives.  But, to people who experienced this loss, does justice really stop there? Or are we prepared to see more violence? I refuse to think the unthinkable, but perhaps my next question is – are we ready to face the wrath of vengeance?

While I do not promote it, a study on human dynamics and political rivalry reveals a very strong trend of vengeance in the face of tragedy.  It is simply inevitable.

So, where does this leave us? Tell me.  I would like to know.