No More Fear

Goodbye, Jolo—for now.

Fear was my companion the first time I set foot in Jolo in September 2008. It was never a place I had dreamed of visiting, not even for adventure. But work demanded my presence there, and so I went.

For the past twelve months, my job required me to travel to the island every month, fulfilling the responsibilities assigned to me. Each visit was marked by restless nights, shadowed by an underlying sense of unease. The echoes of past conflicts lingered in the air, and danger felt ever-present. One particular night, as I slept, an explosion shattered the silence, a stark reminder of the reality I had stepped into.

At first, I thought the dangers lurked only in the cover of darkness. I soon realized how mistaken I was.

Last month, a bomb exploded, killing two people and injuring forty others. The blast occurred on a street I walked along every morning. It detonated at 7:30 a.m. I usually passed that very spot an hour later, at 8:30. The thought of how close I had come to tragedy sent a shiver down my spine.

I heard the explosion clearly from where I was staying. At that moment, I was preparing to leave for work, unaware of the chaos unfolding just a short distance away.

One of those restless nights turned out to be more than just a feeling of unease. The phrase "haunted night" was not merely metaphorical for me—it was literal. One night, in the room where I slept, I experienced something truly unsettling. I was never told of any spooky stories about the room I stayed until I shared what had happened to me. Only then did I learn that others, too, had felt an eerie presence there.

This month marked my final trip to Jolo. Upon my arrival, I was met with yet another unsettling report—there had been another explosion the night before.

And yet, something within me had changed. The fear that once gripped me so tightly had loosened its hold. The island, with all its challenges and dangers, had taught me resilience. I had faced uncertainty time and time again, and I had emerged stronger.

No more fear. I am not afraid anymore.