Life in Zambo

It has definitely been a number of days since I last watched the news. I just find the news to be engrossing that I haven't been as productive as I wanted to be. Actually, if I had a TV in my room I've probably still be watching the news while working. Mar Roxas, well-known as Mr. Palengke back when he was still running for office in the Senate, supposedly declared that the war is over, based on the barrage of status messages on my Facebook News Feed. A lot of people are not convinced. Some commented that they heard gunfire and explosions still, while others who probably are far away from the the affected areas are rejoicing because of the good news. While I am among those who are in the unaffected areas, the gunfire and explosions that have been waking me the past few days seem to be absent today. I'm not going to say that it's now safe to go out and be merry, but rather I would advise those who would need to be outside for work and provisions to be as vigilant as ...

Yesterday, I went on a run to the Red Zone. I brought along my ID, because just by flashing it, it gets me to places where not a lot can go to. Anyway, there were some documents that I needed at the office, and while it seemed quiet, I just got on the motorcycle and went. Every now and then, I'd still hear gunfire and explosions, but what's scary is that I've gotten so used to it that I don't even feel scared anymore. Everything looked perfectly normal on the way to the City Hall. There were people around, traffic was even bustling. Everything looked normal except when I got to the boundaries set by the military. When I got to the entry point, I showed the soldier on duty my ID, he asked how long I'll be staying at the office, and I tell him that I won't be long. As soon as I got through the road block, it was a whole different world. The usual noisy, busy streets of the pueblo was so quiet, I swear I could even hear the wind. About fifty meters away from the ...