“Where the road ends,
the insrugency begins.”
— General Cirilito E. Sobejana
In my contemplation, I realized the importance of geographical proximity in human survival. Human connection is a necessity for us to experience a good life.
Cha was only 16 years old when recruiters convinced her to join the CPP-NPA-NDF. She came from a low-income family in a remote village in Zamboanga del Sur. In her adolescence, she hoped to pursue a college education. With her love of learning and curiosity, she explored the world and wanted to be part of its progress. In her quest to improve the economic situation of her poor family, she tied with the CPP-NPA-NDF. Her leadership strength and industriousness were exposed to the “white area” organizations operating in their barrio. She said the legal front took advantage of her dream to become a nurse, but she does not have the financial capability to pursue college in the city. The recruiters caught her skills and vulnerabilities as an entry point in instilling sympathy for marginalized people. She identified as one of those—implanting hatred because the government failed to care for the people in geographically-isolated communities. After being indoctrinated, she left home with so much hope to pursue her education; she abandoned her own family and moved to the mountains for the sake of her newly formed principle and thoughts of assisting poor communities at the time using her skills and interest to become a nurse.
In my inquisitiveness, I opted to immerse myself in community service with the military and various government agencies for the Subanen tribe at Barangay Saad, Dumingag, Zamboanga del Sur, to validate my initial research findings. Barangay Saad is located about 10 kilometers from the center of Dumingag town with a slow-growing economy due to the rough farm-to-market road, which was only passable by horses and motorcycles. Due to the rolling and mountainous terrain, most residents engage in traditional farming such as kaingin.
Notwithstanding the steep and dangerous rough road, I savored the journey to the mountainous far-flung barangay, adorned with nature’s roller coaster terrain and perfect friendly weather for my physiological preference. Although the houses, made of bamboo and indigenous materials, were distantly located, I discovered that the people living there are mostly biologically related and share a strong sense of community. I also noticed their unique reactions, seemingly amazed, to the presence of outsiders.
The said community service activity provided basic services such as Serbisyo Caravan, medical and dental, feeding program, and distribution of transistor radios, slippers, and sacks of rice. The highlight of the program was the send-off ceremony for 3.3-kilometer road rehabilitation from Barangay Dilud to Barangay Saad, and road opening from Barangay Saad, Dumingag, ZDS to Katipunan, Zamboanga del Norte. The program was held at Barangay Saad in collaboration with the local government unit of Dumingag headed by MTF-ELCAC Chairperson and Mayor Joan Abejuela who spearheaded the Oplan Amuma of the Municipality of Dumingag. Oplan Amuma is the counterinsurgency plan initiative of the municipal government to end the insurgency through strengthening of people’s movement. It is the blueprint of the municipality’s unified approach in addressing the problem, which identifies the issues and concerns relating to the insurgency problem in the municipality.72 Also, the institutions under the umbrella of the Whole of Nation Approach, such as the Province of Zamboanga del Sur, the DILG, the 53IB, the 547th Engineer “AGILA” Battalion, the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR), the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA), and the DA graced the event.
In that geographically-isolated barangay, I witnessed the collective effort among the Subanen people. It was a small community, but the cohesiveness among them was evident. Together, the diverse age groups offered cultural dances, tokens of appreciation, and food to the visitors to show unity and peace.
There, Mr. Jeffrey Señara, the barangay chairperson of Saad, was teary-eyed when he told me that he was grateful and happy because the provincial government had finally solved their decades-long road challenges. He emphasized that land conflict is always a threat to peace and security in their place. But he is hopeful that the government will resolve this challenge in due time.
In Governor Victor Yu’s speech, he underscored that the Provincial Government is intensifying road openings among geographically challenged barangays. These pathways will provide a venue for farmers to easily transport their products to urban areas. As such, the people in the hinterlands of barangay Saad would have the same opportunities and benefits as what the people in the urban areas experience.
In my hindsight, the geographical challenges in Zamboanga del Sur mirror a condition that shapes an individual’s identity and culture. Geographical location determines our diversity and affects our worldview, including stereotypes, biases, and prejudices. It also influences how we perceive and fashion our self-image and project ourselves to the outside world. Human diversity with regard to geographical locations is essential for understanding the behavior and psychology of terrorism and its impact on peace and development programs.
It is worth noting that the study of geographical psychology that aims at mapping the psychological phenomena of spatial organization can give light to the relationship between geographical isolation and radicalization. According to Rentfrow, there are three mechanisms that contribute to geographical variation: selective migration, social influence, and ecological influence.40 The regional personality differences observable in the Zamboanga Peninsula are linked to the said geographical variation, including cultural, political, social, and economic factors.
Experts traced the geographical literature on terrorism and how it contributes to our perception of terrorism as a phenomenon. Using the territoriality organizational framework, three key topics were investigated from a geographical standpoint. The elemental geographies and root causes of terrorism were initially analyzed, implying that knowing the roots of terrorism necessitates a regional focus on local-level government to address deficiencies that may lead to grievances of terrorists and potential grounds for recruitment. Second, spatial analytical studies aid in constructing a comprehensive spatial narrative of the attack pattern and actions of government enforcement to deter specific attacks. Finally, spatial insights help in understanding the adverse effects of terrorism on society, such as spatial restrictions.7 In the spatial features of Zamboanga Peninsula, the CPP-NPA-NDF utilizes the geographically isolated and disadvantaged barangays as recruitment hubs because of the absence of development, progress, infrastructures, and government facilities.
“Tell me where you come from, and I will tell you who you are” is an old adage in the Philippines to establish a regional identity. Geographical psychology utilizes the study of the spatial distribution of psychological phenomena at different levels of geographical analysis and their relations to macro-level critical societal outcomes. Geographical perspective provides a new way of understanding interactions between humankind’s psychological processes and distal macro-environments. Recent studies have identified the spatial organizations of a wide range of psychological constructs, including but not limited to personality, individualism, collectivism, cultural tightness-looseness, and well-being. These variations have been plotted over a range of geographical units like neighborhoods, cities, states, and countries and linked to a broad array of political, economic, social, and public health.48
Space and location have significant implications in understanding the growth of radicalization. CPP-NPA-NDF recruiters in the Zamboanga Peninsula strategically persuade potential terrorists in geographically challenging locations. They also agitate hatred and sow anger to generate sympathizers in the community where they can provide a sense of connection, relationship, and friendship that are common psychological needs of the vulnerable individuals. The legendary Greek philosopher Aristotle said, “Man is by nature a social animal; an individual who is unsocial naturally and not accidentally is either beneath our notice or more than human.” So the more remote and accessible locations, the more susceptible people are for recruitment activities.
Society is something that exists before the individual. Additionally, man cannot survive on his own. In order to survive, he must meet certain natural basic needs. In order to live a fulfilled life, he must form relationships with his fellows. No man can free himself from the shackles of mutual dependence.
Aristotle also said, “It is clear that the city-state is a natural growth, and that man is by nature a political animal, and that a man who is cities by nature and not merely by fortune is either low on the scale of humanity or above it. For one who is unsocial by nature is also a lover of war since he is solitary, like a solitary piece at draughts.”48
In simple terms Aristotle stated, the government is superior to the family and to each individual. It follows that the government is, by definition, before the individual; for if the individual separates from being governed, the person becomes insufficient. Each individual must be therefore related and subjected under a government.This structure maintains a harmonious relationship between the individual and the government.
REFLECTIONS
Human connection is a necessity
for us to experience a good life.
It is indispensable for us to experience a sense of community to satisfy our needs for love, affection, belongingness, safety, and security toward self-actualization and self-transcendence. There is a need for us to socialize and feel acknowledged in an existing group with a sense of community where we could express, share, and confide our thoughts and feelings. People with the same sentiments flock together as they mirror each other’s brain activity when they are engaged in storytelling and listening.
Remember the narratives of the friends rescued? Overall, the geographical factor in the study of terrorism can help explain the trajectory of radicalization and give a new perspective in understanding the psychology of terrorists in Zamboanga Peninsula in the Philippine context. Their recruiters easily accessed the friends rescued because of their remote locations in the hinterlands.
The CPP-NPA-NDF exploits geographical challenges as an opportunity to build mass support while emphasizing a community that promises a better life, including a sense of belongingness, empowerment, security, safety, and basic physiological needs.
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