Seriously, do I look like a terrorist?

It’s been a while, Liketu! I had difficulty uploading some of my photos last week and sadly an error in one photo affected the entire post. Just glad this one went through today. 😁

Today, I’ll take you to a few years back when I had to fly to Davao City, one of the key cities in Mindanao, Philippines, for work. On the day of my flight, a localized Martial Law was announced and strictly implemented in Davao following a bombing incident in a night market. If you haven’t heard, our outgoing President, Rodrigo Duterte, used to be a Mayor in Davao City.

I’ve been to Davao a couple of times before the declaration of Martial Law and I’ve seen how different it was. Curfews were in place. I’ve spotted police and other military forces/personnel scattered almost everywhere. During Digong’s regime in Davao, it has been hailed as one of the safest places in the country. I can attest to this because even if I walk back to my hotel as late as midnight, I didn’t have to worry about encounters that might harm me.

After delivering what was required for my work, my workmates in Davao were kind enough to give me a quick but awesome weekend tour on a nearby island. You might be familiar with Samal Island but did you know that aside from Samal, there’s another adjacent island that’s just as stunning as Samal? Talicud Island is the name. In our local dialect, Talicud is often spelled as talikod means *to turn back”. This is just my theory (on top of the rest of the theories I’ve made up about the places I’ve been to haha), the island’s name could have originated from the fact that the island’s on the back portion of the main Samal Island is you’re from any areas across the Davao Gulf.

Talicud Island was beyond my expectation. I didn’t expect it to be so pristine and relaxing after traveling only for less than 30 minutes from Davao City port. But what I couldn’t forget about this trip will be told in the next few sentences.

I was waiting for my workmates in Ramon Magsaysay Park which was the best meet-up place for our boat ride in the adjacent Sta. Ana Port. While I was waiting for my workmates there, a cop disguised as a civilian approached me and asked me a few questions. At first, I thought he was just being friendly and I had no problem with it. In the minutes that followed, I was filled with a staccato of fear I haven’t felt in such a long time. He blurted words I never thought of hearing in my entire existence: “We thought you’re a terrorist!”

I started to heavily sweat out. I was feeling too cold to handle any of the officer's next sentences. He explained why they thought I was a terrorist because “I don’t look like one”. Perfect, right? I was a kid whose only vice was to work hard and travel harder. He asked for my identification card; he tried to bring me to their station for another interview but I managed to get away with it. I have a boat ride to catch in less than an hour and I don’t want to be retained behind bars! My God! That’s scary as shit really. Although I get it why they had to be very strict and had to consider everyone as a possible terrorist who's going to blow up the city if police fails to spot them.

Thankfully the trauma I went through that morning faded when I arrived on Talicud Island. Today, I laugh at the idea of having to go through that event. Not wishing to experience it again tho. 🤣