‘Gangnam’ heralds new peace in Cotabato

MANILA, Philippines - Four years ago, Bing Mangisig and her family fled their home near Aleosan town in North Cotabato after hearing gunfire and explosions in the buildings around them.

This week, the family joined hundreds of other local residents who welcomed celebrities from Manila as “Gangnam Style” blared from loudspeakers.

Aleosan was among the towns seized by a breakaway group of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) in 2008 after the memorandum of agreement on ancestral domain was declared unconstitutional. Scores were killed in the fighting, and hundreds of thousands of residents were displaced from their homes.

When the Mangisigs returned after spending a year in an evacuation camp they found their home and possessions burnt.

But Aleosan is back on its feet after the signing of the framework agreement between the government and the MILF.

The Office of the Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process chose Aleosan for its inaugural peace ambassador immersion trip.

Peace ambassadors, including actor and comedian Epy Quizon, singer Datu Khomeini and members of the Philippine Azkals football team, entertained the crowd.

After the program, children scrambled to touch a football for the first time, a gift from the Philippine Football Federation.

The government hopes such activities will inspire public support as details of the Bangsamoro agreement are being worked out.

Mangisig told The STAR she was praying for lasting peace. The daycare worker and mother of four said the community was determined to turn its back on conflict after decades of suffering.

“The majority of people feel very happy and they agree with the framework, because our place was in the center of the conflict,” she said.

“We are very happy because we hope it would probably put an end to the conflict here in Mindanao,” she added.

Aleosan Mayor Loreto Cabaya admitted that some residents had “reservations” about the peace deal.

He said the best way to win them over would be to provide more information – as soon as it was available.

“I keep some responsibility as a mayor here, to explain what’s the impact, what is the content of the framework. I told them the framework is a work in progress,” Cabaya said.

“We will give peace a chance. It is the only option for now. We have seen no other option but to support this framework agreement,” he added.