The datus, led by 64-year-old Maguindanao Gov. Datu Andal Ampatuan, also took turns swearing over the Holy Qur’an not to involve themselves in sinister plots to unseat Mrs. Arroyo, during a gathering in Barangay Nabundas here where leaders of the Moro royalty traditionally meet on important occasions.
Ampatuan said they wanted to show that they recognize Mrs. Arroyo’s role in developing impoverished and hostile towns in Maguindanao into progressive peace zones where various rehabilitation projects are now underway.
"This is also to show to the people in Luzon and the Visayas that the people in Maguindanao are not in any way affected by the political situation besetting Metro Manila. Life in Maguindanao is normal," Ampatuan told The STAR in the Maguindanaon vernacular.
Datu Zainudin Abutazil, a member of the provincial board, said their manifesto of support for Mrs. Arroyo was also in keeping with the Maguindanaon tradition of fraternalism and unity with a troubled family member.
"Maguindanao is a known GMA country, being her political bailiwick. She is, in fact, an adopted daughter of the Maguindanaon royalty so we have to support her all the way," Abutazil said.
Ustadz Farid Solaiman, the grand preacher here, and a dozen other members of the local Islamic community witnessed the pledge of support for Mrs. Arroyo by leaders of the Moro royalty in the first and second districts of Maguindanao.
Solaiman said they would feel uncomfortable if they see Mrs. Arroyo, being an "adopted daughter" of the Maguindanaon royalty, being unseated by any group.
"As a family, we are like a human body. A pain in one of the fingers is something that can be felt all over the body and can also be registered in the mind," said Solaiman, a foreign-trained preacher.
Officials of the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao earlier passed a resolution recognizing the legitimacy of the Arroyo administration.