Organizers hope MILF members attend Maguindanao festival

MAGUINDANAO, Philippines - Organizers are expecting representatives of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) to grace the February 13-14 culmination of the provincial Sagayan Festival, optimistic their presence will bolster the cordiality between them and local executives from the 36 municipalities of Maguindanao.

The yearly Sagayan Festival, pioneered by the provincial government in 2011, highlights the customs and traditions of the Maguindanaons, particularly those complementing co-existence among locales and non-Maguindanaon settlers.

The term Maguindanao means “people of the flooded plains,” which refers to the Muslim communities that dwell in the marshlands and swampy areas in the province, which is divided into the raya (upper delta) and the ilod (downstream) area, where enclaves are governed by members of the Moro nobility.

The provincial administrator of Maguindanao, engineer Wahab Tunga, said Gov. Esmael Mangudadatu invited top commanders of the MILF to the culmination program of the Sagayan Festival for them and leaders of the province, including members of the league of mayors, to engage in fellowship activities meant to bolster cordiality among them.

“While there has never been any animosity between these MILF commanders and our local officials, the spirit of mutual security cooperation among them was somehow affected by the January 25 encounter in Mamasapano municipality between the police and local guerilla forces,” Tunga said.

Zone commanders of the MILF residing in far-flung barangays in Buluan, which is the new provincial capital, and nearby Datu Paglas, Paglat, Gen. S.K. Pendatun, Mangudadatu and Pandag towns, all in Maguindanao, graced the different Sagayan activities last Monday, which marked the start of the festival.

MILF members were even seen touring the display booths in a trade fair at Buluan, where Maguindanaon indigenous products are being exhibited, while their commanders huddled with local executives milling around.

Sagayan is an ethnic Maguindanaon war dance portraying the resilience of Maguindanaons and their propensity to defend their people from oppression.

Mangudadatu had earlier invited members of the MILF’s central committee to attend the February 13-14 Sagayan Festival culmination programs.

“This is a good chance for us to reaffirm friendships and renew our commitments to cooperate in peace and development initiatives and in the monitoring of the ceasefire in all of the 36 towns in Maguindanao,” Mangudadatu then said.

Thousands of Maguindanaons from different towns, mostly relatives and dependents of MILF members, trooped to the Buluan municipal gymnasium Tuesday night to watch the 2015 Miss Maguindanao pageant, one of the highlights of the Sagayan Festival.

“Many non-Maguindanaons also watched the pageant, enabling them to have some sort of bonding moments with their Maguindanaon neighbors,” said a member of the provincial board, lawyer Bobby Katambak.

Tunga and Katambak had both said they are expecting thousands to watch the street dancing parade on February 14 in the thoroughfares in Buluan, located in the second district of Maguindanao.

Katambak said top leaders of the MILF, including the group's chief negotiator, Muhaquer Iqbal, are expected to grace the event.

“The Sagayan activities will also stamp on the minds of people outside of Maguindanao that the January 25 hostilities in Mamasapano did not affect the overall security landscape of the province,” Katambak said.

At least 44 members of the police’s Special Action Force, 18 MILF guerillas and four civilians were killed in the incident.

The SAF operatives had just neutralized Malaysian terrorist Zulkifli bin Hir, most known as Marwan, in a dawn raid at his lair in Barangay Inog-og in Mamasapano last January 25 and were maneuvering their way out from the area when they encountered MILF forces and a third group, the Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters.  

The incident spawned tension among local folks, now apprehensive of a possible retaliation by the Philippine National Police for its heavy loss in the 10-hour running firefight, which shook the entire nation to its core.

Mangudadatu, chairman of the provincial peace and order council, appealed last week to his constituents in all of Maguindanao's 36 towns not to speculate and refrain from entertaining rumors that tend to fan confusion and panic among local communities.

In a statement Wednesday, Mangudadatu said the Sagayan Festival is meant to show to people in Metro Manila, Visayas and Luzon that despite the Mamasapano incident, Muslims, Christians and lumad sectors in the province remain trusting and supportive of the on-going government-MILF peace initiative.

“This festival will offset whatever troubles, resolvable troubles we're experiencing now as a temporary, very temporary and considerable aftermath of the Mamasapano incident. We can rise and bounce back because Maguindanaons are very resilient people,” the governor said.