Humanista on the Take: "Is Papa coming home?"

Unsuspecting families on the seashores patiently waited under the moonlit sky for a certain boat that contained food, money, and most importantly, life. Yet many hours finished, not a single sound of a motor-run boat filled their ears but only the calm swish of the waves that brought an uncanny feeling.

Twenty three days before Christmas this 2024, four unarmed Filipino fishermen were spotted and disrupted by the Chinese Military. This pattern has been seen all around the news for quite some time. The unending disruptions of Filipino fishermen is not new for the audience but it is concerning. 

“There is an economic cause if the Philippines lost the West Philippine Sea—it is the shortage of food which can lead to hunger and poverty,” stated by Department of National Defense Secretary Gilbert Teodoro.

With the ongoing banter between the two countries, not only the country is affected but also the families behind the fishermen assaulted are greatly affected. They mourn for their beloved fathers, sons, brothers, and grandfathers who fell lifeless under the cold water from bullets and torment.

And as they mourn, justice is still not  served as the government struggles to completely own the West Philippine Sea. China continues to attempt to claim the “South China Sea” as theirs and as a form of dominance, they fight, they kill, and they create.

But that is not the end. They continue to create artificial islands for military purposes, destroy coral reefs to make way for their islands and assault our Filipino fishermen who are fishing on what’s truly theirs.

The question still lingers. Is papa coming home? Unanswered, the families behind these fishermen are still waiting for justice for their loved ones. Celebrating Christmas without them will be a forever struggle as they still wait. Waiting for justice, waiting for our loved ones.