Known to having a lot of stunning beaches and land forms, Mindanao is the second biggest island of the Philippines next to Luzon. The archipelago is surrounded by the Philippine, Bohol, Sulu and Celebes seas. Mindanao is the outpost of Muslims in the predominantly Roman Catholic Philippines. Large numbers of ethnic minorities are also found in Mindanao such as the Maranaos.
Marawi War: The biggest problem experienced
Before the war in Marawi City happened, Mindanao was peaceful. Agriculture was the main living of the people. They get their power supply from Agos River. The environment was in a good condition to the point that water from Lake Lanao can be drank. Tons of fishes can also be caught in rivers. But due to the continuous bombing of Marawi City, bodies of water became highly affected. Fishes disappeared, and the climate became hotter than usual.
When the terrorists attacked the city, the government had no choice but to send troops to the area. Mosques, schools and houses were destroyed. Martial Law was implemented to control the situation but unfortunately, it's still existing in Mindanao until now which made some of the citizens disagree. "Sa nangyari sa Marawi, wala nang respeto 'yon," said Mr. Mangondato referring to the government. They are still under the power of the military up to now.
"Yung martial law na 'yan ay gamot. Gamot 'yan pero bakit kumbaga sa sakit ng ulo ay ginagamot mo sa iba. Ibang gamot ang binibigay mo edi lalong magkakasakit ang tao. Dapat yung gamot na talagang gamot, 'yon ang gagawin"
Mr. Mangondato is not in favor of Martial Law. He believes that it's supposed to be "medicine" but this type of medicine isn't needed in their area.
Economy
Back then, people can eat coconuts and get food from nature without buying. But when man started having interest with money, the prices of food became high. Poverty rates continue increasing causing the people to be homeless. Inflation rate also had a negative impact especially to the minority of the society.
Lanao del Sur lack health facilities so they have to go to Iligan to find a hospital.
Farmers aren't supported by the government so a big part of their population moved to the cities hoping that their lives would be better. Farming is discouraged in their area because there's no available irrigation. Because of this, farming became unstable and the production of crops declined. They don't produce their own food so they have to get it from Iligan and Cagayan.
"Hindi sila magkakaroon ng sariling paninindigan pag hindi nawala ang kahirapan."
Mr. Jamal Mangondato suggested that livelihood projects are needed to sustain agriculture in Mindanao. Fishermen must be given their own boats and fishing nets. Farmers must also be provided with all necessary equipment for farming.
Education: A solution to eliminate social issues
Autonomous Region of Muslim Mindanao is the poorest region in the Philippines. According to our interview with Mr. Mangondato, it's mainly because the people choose the wrong leaders to govern. Every election, the people are always blinded by the money that the candidates offer in return of their votes. Before, vote buying was just a technique but it became a practice later on to be part of every election. Money has been a requirement since then to be able to enter politics. People view candidates as insane if they run without having enough money. Even the indigenous people are hopeful for the money of the politicians and they care less about the other good qualities. Corruption is also prominent in Mindanao. During the father of our interviewee's time as a treasurer of Lanao del Sur, they audited that 600,000 pesos were missing every month in their funds. To avoid this practice and other situations like prostitution and drugs, education should be accessible for everyone. Scholarships should be given for the people who can't afford to pay for school. In this way, people would be educated about the issues happening within their region. If they know the negative repercussion of these issues to the society, then the more it can be avoided.
Introducing Islam and the Bangsamoro Law
Bangsamoro Law is proposed to recognize the region of Autonomous Region of Muslim Mindanao as an independent state with their own government and provisions.
Our group misunderstood a part of the Bangsamoro Law which is the Shariah Law. Our group's misconception about Shariah Law is that it covers even the non-Muslim of ARMM. It's basically the law of Islam regarding the physical punishments to be given to a person who's proven guilty of a crime. Good thing that our interviewee is a Muslim and he cleared things out for us. First, Shariah Law is not yet implemented in the Philippines. Second, only the Muslims are eligible to be given the punishments and not the non-Muslims. Islam may be introduced to people, but they do not force their religion and beliefs to others. It was explained that Shariah Law is an eye for an eye, tooth for a tooth punishment. Meaning, the criminal will also get what he did to the victim. The intensity of the physical punishment depends on the crime a person did. And it's not just something that can be decided immediately. The case will be investigated and there must be about four witnesses to prove that somebody is guilty.
With regards with the Bangsamoro Law, Mr. Mangondato inferred that the citizens of Mindanao do not agree because they're not ready. If ARMM is separated from the country, then they will loose their right in Mindanao which is the outpost of Muslims in the Philippines. It's also not easy to assemble a new government since from the very start they will have to choose a chief and that may result negatively. The perfect alternative would be giving ARMM the right to change the provisions of their region.
Islam is derived from the Arabic term "salam" which means "peace." So the misconception about them of being terrorists opposes the name of the religion itself. Another misconception is that Muslims force fixed marriage to daughters of the family. Where in fact, it's completely the female's choice if she wants to get married with the consent of her parents.
Conclusion
As I got to know more about the issues of Mindanao, I realized that the distribution of power and authority are mainly the causes of social conflict. Exhibit one is the implementation of Martial Law in Mindanao. Some residents disapprove that the military ruled them. It created heat between the Filipinos and the government. Exhibit two is the graft and corruption happening in Mindanao. Politicians are using their power for their own benefit which slows the progressiveness of communities.
This is called the Conflict Theory.
To summarize my learnings during the interview, here are the key points of what I've learned:
- Consult people on what they really need before implementing a law – Remembering how Mr. Mangondato said that "medicines" are supposed to be used accordingly, I learned that our group should draft our bill in accordance to the issues and opinions of the people that will be affected. Since our interviewee said that they're not in favor of the Bangsamoro Law, we decided to create a new bill that we believe will be effective for their region. This consultation has helped our group finalize our bill which is a livelihood project for the farmers of ARMM. We addressed the issue of the declining rates of productivity in their region as well as the sustainability of farming.
- Misconceptions can affect our judgement – There are two sides of a story, the good and the bad. Those that belong in the good side are usually the ones that are genuinely understood. The bad side are viewed as negative because we either oppose to it or we don't understand a part of it. My misconception about the Shariah Law made me view Islam on the negative side. Yes, I know a little about their beliefs and practices, but when I found out about the existence of the Shariah Law it made me see their religion differently. I admit that I somehow disagreed with it when it wasn't yet clear to me. Good thing that it was explained so I really felt enlightened.
credits to the following:
www.britannica.com
lovemindanao.com