Bring Back the Grandeur of Mesopotamia

One of the most apparent features of a Philippine issued passport is the mark, “Not valid for travel to Iraq.” It has been there for the longest time that it has become a distinct mark of the passport. But have you ever wondered why for the longest time, it has not been erased?

I am reminded of a Filipino soap opera of vampires and werewolves. The strongest vampire according to a prophecy will have a distinct mark and said vampire will have to kill the strongest werewolf in order to save his own kin. As the story turned out, the two fell in love with each other and together they now try to fight the prophecy contesting that the distinct mark of the vampire is non sequitur or it does not follow that a vampire is bad just because he has the mark.

Just like the protagonists in that soap, Iraq has also been marked as a dangerous place for the longest time now. It was placed in a realm that no one goes to and no one should go to. It was labeled as something “bad” and placed in a box and has been forgotten for the longest time when in fact, that place is not anymore what it used to be.

Remember the few days when Hong Kong banned the Philippines for travel? Did we not feel terrible about it? Our government chiefs even said that it would have great effect on our tourism industry. Imagine how the Iraqi people feel about the ban towards them. Like everyone in this world, they deserve a chance to recover from whatever setbacks they have suffered don’t they? To talk about Iraq before the war is moot and academic in a sense because damage has been done and lives have been lost. What is more relevant to talk about now is moving on. Institutions are being built, reforms are being introduced, and slowly but surely Iraq is heading to its bright future.

There are endless possibilities for a renewed Iraq-Philippines relation. I heard that the Iraqi government is exerting effort meeting their counterparts in the Philippines on housing and construction, trade and investment, banking and finance, budget and management, science and technology, education, energy and electricity, communication and transportation, labor, agriculture, health, and environment.

When was the last time our government seriously considered lifting this ban from Iraq? Did they even found out if Iraq was up to now an unsafe place? I bet the rest of the world can discover a culture so rich and a people so unique.

Iraq is the home of some of the oldest civilizations such as Mesopotamia in the world. It was the location of the famous Babilon City. Imagine that. I believe that it is time to bring back the grandeur of Iraq and erase the murky image of the war torned and conflict ridden country we have of it.