A conspiracy theory is an explanatory proposition that accuses two or more people, a group, or an organization of having caused or covered up, through deliberate collusion, an event or phenomenon of great social, political, or economic impact. More recently the United States has become the home of conspiracy theories because so many high-level prominent conspiracies have been undertaken and uncovered since the 1960s.
But the Philippines seems bent on grabbing the title "Home of Conspiracy Theories" from the US of A with the outbreak of opinions that attempt to explain the recent events in Zamboanga City. Just read the various comments in Rappler, ABS-CBN, GMANews, and Inquirer news and you can tell that the Filipinos have the most colorful imaginations and they are the most free people in the world if only enjoyment of freedom of expression online is the sole basis.
There are two major conspiracy theories that floated this week.
One, originating in various comment threads is that Janet Lim Napoles and her alleged cohorts, the senators, designed the unrest in Mindanao via bombings. Actually, it has been forwarded even before she surrendered to President Noynoy Aquino. Remember Anonymous' warning that there will be bombings here and there to divert the attention of the people from Napoles' misdeeds? So some says that the siege of Zamboanga is the grandest of all diversionary tactics. Napoles is cornered; the politicians are getting exposed so they need a smokescreen.
Two, on September 11, 2013, John Shinn III posted a conspiracy theory in his Facebook Account. As of this writing, it has been shared more than four thousand times. An aha moment for John:
"AHA! Now I know why everyone---from President Aquino to DILG secretary Mar Roxas, DND's Voltair Gazmin and Zamboanga City mayor Beng Climaco---is trying to prolong this MNLF attack/hostage situation...Even Cebu Pacific and Philippine Air Lines seem to know something about this siege that they put out identical advisories about flight cancelations on Sept. 11 & 12."HERE MY ANALYSIS: The U.S. in its fight against global terrorism has earmarked billions of dollars in "aid" money aimed at pro-US countries at the forefront of the war against terrorism."By creating something like the crisis we have now in Zamboanga City now---on the 12th anniversary of 9/11---involving pro Al Qaeda groups like the MNLF...the Philippine government, military and even the city of Zamboanga will surely be at the receiving end of huge---I mean HUGE!---U.S. aid to combat global terrorism!"NO WONDER then P-Noy, Mar Roxas, Voltair Gazmin, Mayor Beng Climaco-Salazar---and even Nur Misuari---are all in this "conspiracy" to extort hundreds and millions of dollars from Washington."JUST WATCH: This will be over on the 13th. Everyone will go their own merry way home...everyone will be a winner----except the people of Zamboanga City!"
Let's see. Conspiracy theories involving MNLF and AFP are nothing new. We've been fed with insider's lamentations even before that the AFP maintains the war in Mindanao so funds for armament and other supplies will keep on flowing, enriching the generals. Hard to believe but when soldiers themselves speak, we can't help but listen, sympathize, and believe.
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| Viral photo of a marine's pair of boots |
Roxas and Gazmin could be natural targets of conspiracy theories. DILG Secretary Mar Roxas, said to be a 2016 presidential wannabe, needs all the pogi points to earn mileage in the political race this early. He needs all the limelight. Gazmin, an intelligence officer during his stint with the Philippine Army, a retired lieutenant general, and the 35th secretary of the Department of National Defense, is an important ally since he has a hand over the armed forces, the nation's pawns. But are they that conscienceless to get Zamboanga to what it is today?
So what John Shinn III is saying is that, all together, Roxas, Gazmin, PNoy, and Mayor Beng Climaco, in collusion with Nur Misuari, staged the firefights to "extort" the HUGE (!!!) US aid to combat global terrorism, with the implication that it will go to their pockets, for their personal benefit.
Granting that this theory is plausible since it compelled more than 4,000 Facebook account owners to share it to their friends, wouldn't it be unfair to the lady mayor of Zamboanga City to be implicated? I can't imagine that the mayor, a former city councilor and former congresswoman whose major advocacies include women, family, youth, children, education, livelihood and social welfare, would conspire with Nur Misuari to bring her city to a state of chaos?
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| Photo from GMANews |
What happened to PNoy's "Daang Matuwid"? Can he stomach the sight of the evacuees, especially the children, sleeping in makeshift beds? of Filipinos displaced from their homes? Can he sleep at night with the images of the dead soldiers floating in his mind? Can he afford embarrassing his image and that of his pious mother and heroic father? I don't think so.
"JUST WATCH: This will be over on the 13th. Everyone will go their own merry way home...everyone will be a winner----except the people of Zamboanga City!"
Today is September 14, 2013. A day has passed since Mr. John Shinn III posted his theory, which has become viral and even discussed in newspapers, but still, the fighting in Zamboanga is far from being over.
Roxas said PNoy is in-charge but VP Binay is getting into the picture. So does it mean that Binay wants a cut from the huge US aid, Mr. Shinn?
Let's keep on following the news and see where this Zamboanga saga is going. For the mean time, let's pray that no more dies and for peace to be restored.
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| Photo from GMANews |
Politics is the conspiracy of the unproductive but organized against the productive but unorganized.
- Joseph Sobran
Be safe everyone!
