Continued from Plot Part II

The Kingfisher of Sendakan

PLOT PART III

Jabil Hamalat and Carl Bancaoan, at some point in time, met in many of Sandakan’s places of entertainment during cockfights. Carl was fond of cockfights and Jabil always wanted to watch the spectacle without miss. The two and their private armies almost got into shooting matches after merely a bad exchange of cuss words. The bone of contention was Suhaida.

Carl, despite the many abrasive encounters with Jabil, rescued him when Umar Abriz had Jabil arrested by his bosom, childhood friend, Gen. Almuddi Terza.

With Umar seething in rage over Jabil’s release, he joined forces with his Chinese counterpart and Suhaida was kidnapped by Wong Tang San.

Carl and Jabil became fast friends after that, despite the series of encounters juxtaposing one’s skills, needs and inadequacies with the other’s, Carl and Jabil combine their talents and resources to fight Umar Ibriz, a leader of a 1000-man strong syndicate operating from Sabah, to Tawi-Tawi, Sulu, Basilan, Zamboanga and onwards to Sarangani and Cotabato.

By joining their small armies, the two rescued Suhaida from Wong Tang San and Umar Abdulla Abriz.

At the end of the story, the general cooperating closely with Umar and eventually with Wong, was disgraced and retired from government.

Umar and Wong were killed in a firefight with government troops from Kuala Lumpur that were coordinated by Carl and Jabil to fight the menace of piracy, kidnapping for ransom, terrorism, drugs and human smuggling, illegal gambling and other high crimes perpetrated by the Umar-Wong and Gen. Terza triad.

The story is about the belief in Islam, that angels are Guardians of people. Angels are aware of and follow as well as record the deeds of each individual as God spoke through Islam's Prophet Mohammad in Qur'an 82:11.

In the Islamic faith, angels are servile to Man. As Mohammad wrote, Al’lah orders angels to be under Man’s commands Qur’an 2:34.

Among Muslims, there is a significant belief that humankind holds predominance among God’s creations. While seraphims, cherubims, archangels, angels also sit beside God in heaven and were created in his glory, there are voluminous other duties and tasks the Qur’an also tells about.

Qur’anic verses state that angels as the champions of God’s causes, are conspicuously in attendance when people die, in the punishment of unbelievers (Qur’an 7:50). Angels also cause humans to die (Qur’an 47:27).

Jolo, Sulu, October 2008