When I was in the high school; my family lived just across
the street from the mosque.
MARAWI CITY
Lake Lanao is the second largest lake in the Philippines
with a surface area of 340 sq. km. With an elevation of 2,300 ft.; it is the
second highest lake in Asia after Dal Lake/Srinagar of India Kashmir. It is
listed among the 15 ancient lakes of the world.
I always remember my hometown that is the City of Marawi as
a haven of peace. Life was fun and simple. The lake was like a giant pool,
serene and crystal. Whether you are swimming or just drifting in your
canoe-like boat; you can lose track of the time. It was a time when one can
bask in the moonlight to the wee hours of the morning without fear of being
molested. Its misty dawns, virgin forests, cool and chilly climate, abundant
rainfall and afternoon drizzles are natural wonders to behold that the Maranaw
people are blessed with.
Non-Muslim migrants from the north were lured into the City
with enchanted tales like “if you toss out the window a fruit’s seed; you will
find it sprouting the following day.” Better believe it…!
It used to be called Dansalan City that is later renamed
Marawi City. I always remember it as just one big town among many that dots the
shores of Lake Lanao. Comparatively, Marawi City has always been poor.
Government basic services are minimal with poor electricity, poor water
services and other obvious government neglects but if you don’t know what you
are missing – you find it okay. Kerosene lamps lighted my entire education
until I left Marawi for college and I remember it with nostalgic memories.
With the violence of Martial Law in the 70’s; the natural
wonder went puff like a paradise forever lost in of the mist of time. Life was
never the same again and with the 2nd Martial Law of May 2017 almost half a
century hence; the destruction is sadly near total. To fly again like a
phoenix; it will need a divine intervention if Marawi City is ever to rise
again from the ashes of its ruins.
THE MARANAW
I like using the word Maranaw as a noun referring to a
person of the Ranao tribe although most prefer using Meranaw meaning a person
of the lake. Maranaws don’t live in the lake – they live around it that brings
to mind the Badjaos of the Sulu provinces. They live in their boats floating in
the seas and in time of storms; they simply row their house-boats to the other
side of an island to weather the storm.
Because of the economic hardships in the Lanao highlands;
Maranaws have created the country’s largest ethnic diaspora. I surmised
although I have no statistics to back it up; 40-50% of the Maranaw tribe have
migrated mostly to the adjoining provinces like Lanao del Norte, CDO, the
Zamboangas, the Cotabatos and everywhere else in the country. They are in every
nook and cranny of the archipelago. It is a survival migration and survive they
did.
They are a people who take life less seriously. They laugh
easily even at the dire circumstances of their own lives. When the smoke of battle
has settled in Marawi; the people will remember more the funny things that
happened on their way to escape the onslaught of terror. They will laugh at it
and it will be retold for generations.
The Maranaws are adventurous and fiercely competitive people.
They see life as a stage set for the battle of wits and they stop at nothing to
win. If you go to your local school and see if a Maranaw is/are among the students; you will find them in the honor list and probably the president of
the class. If you put a Maranaw in a group; given time – he will end up being
the leader of the group. He is fearless. It is in the Maranaw character to
lead. President Duterte is a Maranaw.
The Maranaw tribe is among the 3 big Muslim groups in the
country and among the 3; the Maranaws are better described as businessmen and
merchants. They sell everything from nail cutters in the sidewalks to pearls
and diamonds in the country’s malls. They are vendors and peddlers and of
course…professionals. Their competitiveness brings them to high positions in
government and private enterprises.
When Armstrong landed on the moon; he was shocked to find
Maranaws peddling their wares on the moon. This is just to highlight how
Maranaws make a laugh of themselves. They enjoy life no matter what the
circumstances. If you have bought a pirated CD; you probably bought it from a
Maranaw. They turned CD piracy into a multi-million industries and sadly - so
are illegal drugs.
THE GLOBALIZATION OF TERROR
My initial response when I saw it in the news was -
disbelief.
The Iran-Iraq war was coming to a close when I came to Saudi
Arabia (1980) then came the Gulf War of 1991, the Afghan War, the Gulf War of
2003 then Libya, Syria and Yemen not to mention the endless war in Palestine.
Those are just news to me where towns, villages and cities are destroyed. I
have friends I worked with for more than 20 years in the West Bank, Palestine
and in Aleppo, Syria. I feel happy whenever I saw their posts in the Social
Media, an assurance that they are okay then at the blink that is almost surreal
– the news becomes me. My friend’s and relative’s homes, places I frequented,
barangays where my family have lived, streets I walked growing up and schools I
attended – all reduced to rubble.
It is all so unreal - Terrorists/ISIS…? Are you joking? Most
Filipinos don’t even know where Marawi City is and yea, the ISIS/ISIL/IS is in
the Middle East. How did it come to my highlander city halfway around the
world?
Terror has likewise globalized. It can happen to anyone, any
place anywhere. The masterminds of 9/11 – the Big-Bang that globalized terror
succeeded beyond their dreams and most of them live to see it come true.
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