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Deferred Peace is Expedited War

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The events of late speak for itself. We have gone to war. Continuous attacks from the MILF, aggravated by an ambush at Lanao del Sur, followed by killing civilians and burning houses are but indications of clear and present danger. Chief of Staff, General Alexander Yano calls it a “virtual declaration of war” and indeed it is. Actually, it’s not even “virtual” to me. It is a definite and crystal clear declaration of war — a blatant disregard for the peace process and disrespect to the laws of the land. For what else can you call something as atrocious as these? As of this writing, the rebels have left the scene yet took adult male hostages — probably to use as human shield as they walk through the area.

While it is so tempting to blame people now, the events have been too tragic that my brain can hardly come up with a good argument for finger-pointing. Reports say that there were dead people on the roadside. The bus driver in yesterday’s ambush swore to have seen and heard these rebels shout “patayin ninyo lahat yan” (“kill them all“). Just thinking about it is horrifying enough. I can’t imagine the terror in the faces of the people inside the bus. And I can’t imagine that such evil people exist. And sometimes, I ask myself how grave our inequities to these people may have been for us to go through the burden of talking peace with people who prefer expressing themselves through their guns? What have we done to deserve this problem (if we even deserved it at all)?

I can’t help but wonder if it had been different, had the Bangsamoro Juridical Entity Memorandum of Agreement on Ancestral Domain (BJE MOA on AD) been signed last August 5 at Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Had it been any different if a TRO wasn’t issued or if has been lifted sooner? It’s tempting to think of “could-have-beens” at this time. It is this deferred peace that has expedited the ongoing war in Mindanao. But somehow, knowing what I know now and considering what has happened last week, it scares me just the same. It makes me doubt all the more that peace can happen within PGMA’s term.

We are now a nation under threat. Peace is as elusive as ever. Something has to be done. And right now, I am in agreement with PGMA, “every inch of Philippine territory has to be defended.”

2 responses to “Deferred Peace is Expedited War”

  1. [splice] Avatar
    [splice]

    I came across a news item earlier last week. It featured local residents in several municipalities in Mindanao who are up and against the BJE, or the inclusion of their areas in the proposed BJE.Which makes me think. What if the MOA was signed? Would the residents turn juramentado, reflecting the same cruel things the MILF has been doing quite lately?Either way, it’s certain that peace in the south is yet to tinker with the minds of the negotiators and the local folks.

    [splice]s last blog post..Inches and Miles

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  2. rjmarmol Avatar
    rjmarmol

    @splice, hello! glad to have you here again..the way things are going, it seems like we are nowhere near solving this issue..what bothers me above all, is the fact that the the longer we delay this, the higher the risk of escalating war. CBCP’s suggestion must be heeded, we must go back to the negotiating table and work out differences — with or without the BJE MOA. besides, the govt says they won’t run out of avenues for peace..as for the rest of us, we are on a wait-and-see mode..

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● About Me
Cecilia Regina Aquino Blanquera Marmol aka RJ Marmol profile picture

I’m RJ Marmol — writer, musician, and independent creator based in Manila.

I write songs, essays, and books about the messy overlap between money, overwhelm, creativity, identity, and rebuilding. Much of my work circles around what happens when life stops feeling manageable — and how we try to think clearly, make decisions, and keep moving anyway.

I’m also the author of Rebuilding Under Debt: Thinking Clearly When Everything Is a Blur, a nonfiction book published under Steady Hand Press. The paperback edition is listed under my full publishing name, Cecilia Regina Aquino Blanquera.

On the music side, I release work as HeyRJ. On the writing side, this site is where I gather my books, essays, notes, and whatever I’m building next.

Music

HeyRJ is my sonic soul project. I create raw, minimalist-style and deeply personal music interpretations that feel like a late-night conversation with your truest self.

By blending lo-fi acoustic textures with poetic honesty, my work explores love, loss, grief, healing, and the quiet in-betweens of life. Each song is a letter — a journal entry — a gentle companion for when the world feels too loud or too quiet.

While my catalogue began with intimate cover renditions, my work is increasingly being shaped by original writing, drawing from years of poems, lived questions, and emotional survival.

“Stuck Home Syndrome” released on March 20, 2026 is my first original 20-track album written during a period when time felt compressed and days began to blur into each other. The songs came from sitting with thoughts that had nowhere else to go — unfiltered, repetitive, and sometimes uncomfortable. It’s a concept album that isn’t built around singles or polish. It’s closer to a continuous inner monologue, recorded with minimal production and very little ornamentation and meant to be listened to as one cohesive body of work. The goal wasn’t to resolve anything, only to document how it felt while it was happening.

On May 29, 2026 I released new original singles – “Rapturous”, “Uh Huh”, “Look At You”, “All That” and “Blew Print”. I continue to release both original and cover songs and intend to so for as long as I can so check back every once in a while — you might. just find something you’ll like.

For business inquiries relating to music, email me at: heyrjmusic[at]gmail[dot]com or my personal email at: rjmarmol[at]gmail[dot]com.

Books

Rebuilding Under Debt: Thinking Clearly When Everything Is a Blur

A nonfiction book about what debt does to the mind — and how to begin functioning again when financial stress has made everything feel blurred, urgent, and overwhelming.

Rather than treating debt only as a financial math problem, the book explores the emotional and cognitive realities of financial distress: shame, decision fatigue, avoidance, panic, relationship strain, and the difficulty of making sound decisions while mentally depleted.

Published under Steady Hand Press. It’s available worldwide in ebook and paperback formats on Amazon. Bookstores and libraries can also be order it wholesale via Ingram.

Contact

For book-related inquiries, media requests, bookstore questions, or discussion-group invitations, you can reach me through the contact page on this site or send me an email to rjmarmol[at]gmail[dot]com or hello[at]steadyhandpress.com

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