Crumbling wall

The hitherto volatile Muslim-Christian relation has been put to serious test anew with the recent carnage that took place in the sleepy riceland barangay of Sto. Tomas in Kapatagan, Lanao del Norte on July 10 this year.

Two Maranao youths were found dead, their bodies bearing gunshot wounds  and their heads were  each severed  at a vacant lot owned by one of the alleged four Visayan perpetrators who belonged to a reputable family in the barangay.   After few weeks of manhunt, two were formally charged in court and one of them  was captured in Cebu by  police authorities. He is now detained at the Provincial Reformatory Jail in Tubod, Lanao del Norte.  A manhunt is ongoing for the other one while formal charges for the other two are now being prepared by authorities. Conflict over share of the proceeds of drugs or gun deals were among the angles being eyed by the probers. 

Right after the incident, people’s reaction, especially that of the non-Muslim residents in Sto. Tomas was a mix of uncertainty over their safety and aghast to the perpetrators. They practically fear, on the one hand, of an impending backlash from the relatives of the victims, which is characteristic of the Moro’s tradition of rido (clan-based vendetta), and blame, on the other  the perpetrators for causing such seemingly unforgivable violence in their midst.

Elementary school attendance was heavily affected. Only 50 out of 200 elementary students attended school even two weeks after the incident,  a school principal told this writer. The teachers, being mandated to report to work in the absence of a contrary official order,  surmounted insecurity by regularly attending classes.

The air of fear certainly affects not only the residents of Sto. Tomas. Neighboring barangays are now afraid to visit the place,  lest they be mistaken for the relatives of the perpetrators, exposing themselves  to the potential violence that the aggrieved families may afflict them. Even the employees of the local government are extra - cautious too. In fact, one preset activity in the barangay was subject to questions by those involved  whether it is safe to pursue it.

These and similar feelings prompted a meeting of concerned Muslim, Christian, and  government leaders from Lala, Sapad and Kapatagan towns on July 11, a day after the incident . Security forces from the Armed Forces and the Police were also part of said meeting which took place in the Function Hall of Kapatagan. 

 One observer, who’s been known to possess an “anti-Muslim” sentiment came out of the meeting with optimism. He told me he appreciated so much the declaration of Muslim leaders before the other delegates of the meeting who assured them that they will not allow nay tolerate rido-like tendencies or behavior among their members especially on the issue at hand.  Such leaders, who were aware that the crime did not have anything to do with faith but probably with drugs or gunrunning, urged in fact teachers and parents to let their children go to school as  they used to do before the bloody incident. Just as the Christians are wary of the past “Muslim-Christian” conflict in the 70’s, present-day Muslim leaders also felt the same, the observer said.

Said  declaration is a welcome development in the face of deep-seated mistrust especially among the Christian population or among the settlers (to be politically correct) towards our Moro neighbors, and vice-versa. And it is especially striking in that it somehow alters the well-entrenched bias of this observer towards the Muslims.

That July 11 meeting punctuated yet again of the importance of dialogue. Churches and government leaders should do similar activities more often. If the July 11 meeting initiated cracks of the wall of biases of this observer I spoke with, there is no reason that others of the same mindset will not reexamine themselves.

It was a breakthrough, and a contribution of  these communities to the  peoples’ quest for genuine peace in Mindanao.  

Kapatagan retains Banana Village

The decades-old deadlock between the local government of Kapatagan and the Philippine Army over who should rightfully occupy Banana Village is finally over.

The former army reservation which has served as dwellings of civilian families after being vacated by the soldiers in the late 80’s is officially reverted back to the local government. The Philippine Army , which has been asserting ownership rights over the place has agreed to accept the 7.8-hectare lot in Butadon as a swap to the contested Banana Village.

This agreement is contained in the August 19 memorandum of agreement (MOA) signed by the LGU and the military. The MOA stipulated that the military shall cease claiming rights over Banana village on the one hand, while the LGU committed to provide an alternate lot, electric connection and opening of a road network in the proposed alternate lot, on the other.

This development came about after Mayor Benjie Y. Baguio exerted efforts to persuade military authorities under Philippine Army’s Chief of Staff Gen. Victor Ebrado to agree on a land swap. Mayor Baguio and the military agreed that the village ceased to be fit for military purposes as its location is at the heart of Poblacion Kapatagan and is now mainly inhabited by civilian population.

But Mayor Baguio’s jubilation was not yet complete. After getting the nod from the military higher ups of the land swap, he had to face another block: how to acquire the needed funds to pay for the proposed land to be used as a swap considering that budget year is ending.

Mayor Benjie faced the Municipal Development Council and persuaded its members to realign a portion of the approved 2009 Municipal Development Fund to pay for the stated purpose. Convinced, the MDC immediately passed a resolution on June 22 realigning P1.7-million of the P13.9-million development fund which the Sangguniang Bayan members under Vice Mayor Perlito B. Gonzaga readily adopted.

The idea of a land swap started during the term of former Mayor Benny P. Baguio. But due to some political hitches during his term, the old Baguio who is now member of the Sangguniang Panlalawigan did not see the completion of his initiatives. The young Baguio who builds on the dream of his father of making Kapatagan a regular city in the near future, carried on and make the dream materialize little by little.

The Banana village was proclaimed an army reservation in 1950’s. Then, there were only four civilian families residing in the area. They were the Quidato, Cabrera, Dagani and Gellica families who hailed from the Visayas. It became known as Banana village only in the early 80’s when the 40th Infantry Battalion moved in the area. It was retired Col. Lito P. Castillano, then battalion commander of the 40 IB who gave Banana village its name. “We call it as such because of the multitude of banana plants growing in this place then,” Castillano said.

Banana village is now home to more than 200 households. For a very long time, the residents stand on their lots without legal documents. Always insecure of their status, they could not proceed with the development of their respective houses.

Now that the lot is finally with LGU, residents are expecting that they will finally have their own papers for their lots. The LGU, on the other hand heads to hold consultations with various stakeholders to make occupancy in the village productive and smooth both for the present and future residents.