Stockholm

Nora Soriño

ILIGAN City – “What is the capital of Sweden?” Uncle was asking the eight-year old nephew. They were playing a game called “name the capital.”

Nephew could not remember, so he asked for a clue. “Well, you stock some frogs in the refrigerator…”

The mother who was within hearing distance blurted out: “Stockholm!”

The nephew protested saying it was unfair. His attention was on the “frogs” to be “stocked” in the fridge. But the mother heard the “stock” and so, her answer.

The clue of course, was freaky and well, ridiculous and the three had a good laugh.

That  true to life episode came to this writer’s mind when “Stockholm” again was mentioned.

This was mentioned by — hold your breath! — Fr. Chito Suganob. That’s right. He was very much in the news when the Marawi seige was at its hottest. He who was taken hostage, along with several others.

Suganob was a resource speaker of  the marking of the recently concluded “Mindanao Week of Peace,” in Linamon, Lanao Norte.

Despite his ordeal, Fr. Suganob could still tell jokes. Among other things, he joked about a woman speaker who “is a singer and good-looking.” And he continued, “Me, I’m not a singer, but I am good-looking.” To the delight of the audience, and he added that “I’m a celebrity now, and everybody recognizes me and want to have a selfie with me and I always oblige.”

And then, he got serious. He said that he is still undergoing some sessions with a psychiatrist. When he was asked whether it was true that he became a “cook” for his captors, he said, “No.” Someone in the media just asked where he was at a specific time during his captivity and somebody answered he was in the “kitchen.” The interviewer then concluded that he became a “cook.”

“There was nothing to cook there,” he said and besides he could not determine if he had cooking abilities.

And then, Suganob became more and more serious in what he had to say. He said that during those times, after several days, he began to “empathize” with his kidnappers. He said that he saw their pain and their pain also became “my own pain” as in time, the battle would be lost.

He said as with the others, he had little hope of surviving.

Was he rescued by the military? He answered, “In a way, yes.” But he added that their position was already very near as the military men got closer and closer to them.

He did not exactly say whether he ran to them or the military ran to him. Urban fighting he said was difficult for the military and they were able to end the war because of the air strikes.

About those tunnels, he said that it wasn’t really very true. At first the captors thought of those tunnels to see the battle through but the tunnels were “not a very comfortable place” to be in and in time, these tunnels were not really very useful.

He said that those feelings of empathy and “bonding” with the captors, he was told by the psychiatrist that this is called “Stockholm Syndrome.”

A quick search shows that this is derived from a bank robbery in Stockholm, Sweden in 1973 in which the hostages, “bonded” in time with the hostage takers.

The audience of Fr. Suganob were left in awe. And then he said that he had to go as he had another appointment with the psychiatrist…