Zamboanga City: The Dumping Ground of Malacañang Palace

By: Zamboanga.com Editorial  -  August 22, 2002

It is clearly evident to any keen observer that the City of Zamboanga is being unfairly used by the owners of Malacañang Palace as a dumping ground for the unwanted cargo of thousands of illegal Filipino refugees being forcefully deported by the government of Malaysia, in their extreme efforts to rid their country of the growing numbers of “asylum” seekers from the political and financial doldrums in the Philippines.

The obvious response of the owners of the Manila-based Malacañang Palace is to disperse an attaché contingent to Zamboanga City in order to welcome the deportees back on behalf of the concerned national government.  The Malacañang Attaché have been armed with welcome mats that are riddled with one-way screws and permanent glue for placement on the Zamboanga City pier’s entry gate, emblazoned with a beautifully-designed flag of The Philippines.  Their message:  Welcome back!  Stay here!  Don’t leave!

Thus, the resultant response of the local city officials and residents is to meekly accept the beautiful gift from Malacañang, and add the new wave of deportees to their growing number of refugees from all over the depressed south-western region of The Philippines.  It is also a given that they should bear the brunt, absorb the impact and loss of property or lives as a result of the increasing crime rate from the criminal elements of the deportees.  Malacañang Palace would be ever-so grateful for this show of patriotism, helping divert any infection to other pristine Philippine cities.  It is not enough that the local citizens were grateful hosts to the U.S. Special Forces, but now they will have to extend that hospitality to a national shame.

The ugly-ducklings are soon-to-be part of the “City of Flowers.”  The resulting contrast would surely be an un-welcomed décor for the orderly gardens of the Malacañang Palace - their gardens' signage read: “Not In Our Backyard!"

It is a national crisis that has been dumped on the meek city government of Zamboanga City, with no resistance being displayed, possibly because the mighty military might of Malacañang is located just a few kilometers from city hall, ever-willing to do what’s best for their boss.

However, has anyone ever analyzed what’s best for the Zamboangueños and the deportees?  It is currently being presented by the Malacañang Palace that Zamboanga City will be the main immigration processing center for the deportees, even though the city has no official capacity in that matter (Manila is the official immigration processing center of The Philippines).

If for a moment's consideration hunky dory is feasible, has the local city government already sealed a legal contract with Malacañang Palace on full reimbursement of all expenses it incurs as a result of this illegal dumping, and humane and proportional allocation arrangements for relocation of the deportees to other Philippine cities?  Who will clean up the mess left behind when short-term memory expires?  Do the citizens of Zamboanga City have a say in this matter?  Do they care?  This grave situation reflects a much deeper problem that the owners of Malacañang Palace have to resolve, and not just sweep under their brand of welcome mats.

Why were all the current/future deportees not sent to Manila, where they have the official, legal, and financial means to handle this national problem, or have them evenly distributed to other major cities around the country and set them up like they have in Zamboanga City, in order to distribute its national responsibility to its citizens?

Historically, majority of the refugees fleeing from the economical and political terrorism from nearby provinces have ended up staying permanently in Zamboanga City, after the dust settled.  A good percentage of the city’s population growth has been due to people seeking refuge in its usually peaceful environment.  Although the City of Flowers has a long history of being able to absorb a myriad of peoples from everywhere, reflecting its leadership position as the melting pot center of south-western Mindanao, it is unfair for Malacañang Palace to dump this national crisis directly on Zamboanga City and its people.  Balikatan is not over for these Balik Bayans!  Madame, the property and blood loss from the increasing crime rate as a result of this illegal dumping rests solely on your shoulders!  There is still time to do the right thing and divert the flow of these deportees to other cities around the country, and especially in your backyard.  We all can vividly recall the essence of what the EDSA movement stood for.  If a people is pushed too far by a single-minded political decision, they can respond in kind.

It would be vigilant of local city officials and residents to closely inspect the hidden cargo that the Malacañang Attaché brings with them, to see if there are any gifts of shoes for the deportees made of the same material as their aforementioned welcome mats.  Bienvenidos!  Peace to all!

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