Whatever it is, one thing is clear: Zamboanguenos are having their heads unbowed and ready to play fire with fire! Well, in Facebook, that is.
Just as pictures and videos exploded in Facebook about the attack by some 4,000 MNLF armed men in several areas of the city, with reports of four navy and policemen killed and the hostage-taking of about 30 people, people from Zamboanga also posted picture of unlikely characters with guns and looking ready to defend their homeplace.
A picture posted by Fr. Sergio dela Noche showed three matrons with high-powered firearm and ready to go to war.
"Mo, waiting lan mga lola mio kanila aqui, hehehe [Mo (short for chavacano primo or cousin), my grandmothers are just waiting for them here, hehehe)!" wrote Fr. dela Noche, a parish priest in Zamboanga's East Coast.
When a Facebook friend commented that the women may very well be part of the Gabriela Silang group, Fr. Dela Noche replied in Chavacano (pidgin Spanish): "They are retired Amazon women. I got them to watch over me."
Later, owing to his peaceful inclination as a Man of the Cloth, Fr. Dela Noche said that Zamboanguenos need not arm themselves and that he had already called in his grandmothers but they won't listen to him.
"Ready to snipe?! Hahahahah! Pati mi subrino de escopeta (Even my nephew has gotten his air gun ready)," he said.
Still, the majority opted to dwell on conspiracy theorists, with the popular one blaming the Palace for allegedly getting staging the attack to cover up the pork barrel issue. Others suspect pork barrel operator Janet Lim Napoles to be behind it.
Bien bonito queda un Zamboangueno (It's great to be a Zamboangueno).
(Thank you for reading and feel free to share and spread the humor around to calm everyones' nerves. Gracias)