Faith or Fear?

by Riezyl Barbadillo

It was on one of my conversations with an old professor when I first heard of this question. At that time I thought I understood what he meant when he said this. But to my surprise, it took on a really different meaning during the three-week Zamboanga Crisis.

 “Fear imprisons, faith liberates; fear paralyzes, faith empowers; fear disheartens, faith encourages; fear sickens, faith heals; fear puts us into hopelessness, while faith rejoices in its God. You choose Faith or fear?”

Not the usual thing I see everyday..

by Joanne Vargas

In my 22 years of existence, the Zamboanga Siege was the first war that I experienced for almost a month unlike the Cabatangan Siege in 2001 that lasted a week or less. The war that happened here in my hometown is very memorable to me and I will never forget it as long as I live because it started on a Monday of September 9, 2013, the day of my 22nd birthday.

September 9, 2013: A date all Zamboangeños will forever remember.

by Gerard Santos

September 9, 2013. A date all Zamboangeños will forever remember.

Thousands of evacuees from the affected areas crowd the Joaquin F. Enriquez Memorial Sports Complex in just a matter of days.

It was a time where the entire city stood still. Schools, offices, market places, restaurants, and even hospitals are forced to shut down. Terrified families all around the city watch the news at home and chills run through their spine with every “bang”...