By Ferdinandh Cabrera
Contributor
TAMONTAKA, Awang Datu Odin Sinsuat, Maguindanao — While gunfire and bombs rained on residents of Datu Unsay and Datu Saudi Ampatuan in this province, about 60 young Mindanaons gathered here recently for a peace assembly.
Amid the staccato wailing of war fifty kilometers away, the youth of the strife-torn island crafted art and songs at a peace-building workshop last March 29.
That same day, the conflict killed at least 30 persons, including a few soldiers and three ranking members of the Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters (BIFF).
Since the launch of military offensive in February, an estimated 125,300 persons from 15 municipalities of Maguindanao have fled their homes, displaced by the conflict.
But the workshop for the youth offered a contrast in tone and imagery. The sessions focused on enhancing art expression, singing, and leadership skills, and bonding among the participants.
Macmod Sadam, a resident of Malingao, Shariff Saydona Mustapha town, whose family members were among those who rushed to the evacuation centers, could only reflect on their tragic fate.
“How could they move on?” he asked. “Life inside the temporary camp is so hard, I was there and I can feel how they felt now.”
Macmod is grateful for the opportunity to join the three-day youth assembly. There, youth community leaders were encouraged to express their feelings about the situation, and discern their role in fostering peace in their communities.
“(What) I painted expressed how I desire to achieve peace, but when it will happen?” Macmod said. “I hope the government will heed the long-desired Bangsamoro governance,” affirming his support for the proposed Bangsamoro Basic Law.
Florely Araquil from Bagumbayan, Sultan Kudarat province, spoke about the conditions of her Muslim friends who live in Maguindanao.
While her family lives quite a distance away from the clash, she said, “we are deeply concerned about their studies.” The conflict, she noted, meant only that “they can’t go to schools.”
Florely also lamented that clan wars or rido have also affected relations between the youth from rival families. She said her former school maters have ceased to be friends because their families have been dragged into clan wars.
Alsudairy Sarip from Wato-Balindong in Lanao del Sur said he was glad that the workshop gave the participants a chance to interact with other tribes. “We now have the chance to understand each other’s culture better. That way, we’d know how to respond to and respect the different traditions and norms of every tribe in Mindanao,” Sarip said.
The peace-building youth assembly was attended by 60 youth members were members of the Iranun, Maguindanaon, Maranaw, Ilocano, Ilonggo, and Teduray communities from the province of Maguindanao, Lanao del Sur, Sultan Kudarat, North Cotabato, and Cotabato City.
The workshop featured sessions for the participants to acknowledge the differences in culture, norms, and religion of the different tribes, and how the situation in Mindanao has roots in sectarian conflict, cultural differences, and land disputes.
Among other outputs, the workshop yielded paintings, literary pieces, and a song titled “Bakit Ba” that the participants themselves produced.
In future, Macmod says he wishes to see a peaceful and progressive Mindanao, without military operations, without bakwits. - With reporting by Joyce Toledo, USM Devcom Intern