Two days in Marawi

When I told friends I was going to Marawi City upon the invitation of Mindanao State University president Dr. Umar Umpa, I was asked not to go because of the "perilous situation" in that Muslim-dominated city.

But I shrugged off their well-meaning warnings, and had two colorful, enjoyable days as a guest at the celebration of the 41st year of founding of the university and the ground-breaking rites of the Muslim Science Center inside the campus.

At the Cagayan de Oro airport, the three of us guests – Amaury Gutierrez, president, and Letty Zerda, executive director of the Philippine Science Centrum, and myself – were met by Saripada Camama and Rachim Pacol who drove us past Iligan City, arriving in Marawi city three hours or so later. The roads were paved and smooth; there were no bandits flagging us down. Iligan is a dominantly-Christian city. Saripada told us he has not experienced being discriminated against when he is in the city.

We had insights into Muslim culture from the two guys. As Letty and I were wolfing down lanzones bought from a wayside stall, Sari, in answer to our eager questions, said he, like most other Muslim guys, have not regretted being married to women their parents arranged for them to marry. No, they said, they have only one wife each; in fact you can count with your fingers Muslim men who have more than one wife. "It's difficult being married to four, I think," said Sari.

We had lunch at a countryside restaurant, and by four we were cruising through the city's not so impressive city streets, past mostly huddles of wooden houses. The city has no locally printed newspapers at all, so we saw the city population's means of communication – streamers and banners strung along the streets and on the facade of houses, congratulating young graduates who passed bar and board and nursing exams – a small mosque here and there, lots of half-naked children carousing, and women in western clothes, their eyes peering behind black or colorful veils.

* * *

At near seven in the evening, we were at the Maranao Inn to partake of a Pagana dinner usually laid out for visiting dignitaries. It's where hotel and restaurant majors of MSU study during the day and which is converted into a restaurant at night. Rugs and mats covered the floor. The women, many of them university professors, wore the traditional malong and veil and sat apart from the men. We all sat on the floor, and partook of food set out on very low round tables; we had bodal (a delicacy made of sticky rice), yellow rice called kuning, chelea curry, tasty mudfish, a spicy chicken dish, pulverized fried shrimps, Maranaw beef stew, and crispy rice tiateg. There were trays and trays of lanzones, mangosteen and durian.

By almost nine, we were judges at the university's Miss Raga sa MSU 2002 beauty contest at the gym that was filled to the rafters. The contestants did not wear swim suits , a no-no in that part of the country, but showed off how well they wore office suits, jeans, Filipina dresses, finely designed Maranaw costumes, and were asked questions like did they favor the assignment of American soldiers to Basilan, and was it right to expose people suspected of wrongdoing to the public before they were tried.

The candidates faltered in their answers, but were praised with shouts and clapping by the audience. The pageant, we were told, is not the type that exposes half breasts and legs and asses, but showed off the contestants’ natural good looks, in clothes below the knee, intelligence, and dignified bearing.

The winners of the much-awaited affair were Kucquiel O. Samson, a biz-ad student; Jenny T. Metillo, first runner-up, of the College of Social Sciences and Humanities; Sittie Haynee B. Halil, the only Muslim candidate, who was second runner-up, majoring in math; Jenemay Jaye Gayth, third runner-up, a hotel and restaurant major, and Ruvie R. Viste, fourth runner-up, of the College of Health and Sciences.

* * *

We were awakened by a man's blaring into a mike, in a jeepney moving around the campus, saying it was time to wake up for the parade and pass-in-review. We had breakfast of eggs and fried meat at the Ayala Resort restaurant, and hied off to the university park for the ground-breaking of the science centrum. Presidential Adviser on Special Concerns Bert Gonzales dug the first spade of earth after promising to look for funds for the project.

Then we moved on to lunch at the Botanical Garden, and had lunch, again seated on rugs spread out on the floor, with more Maranaw food. All over the cottage was creatively designed curtains. Managing the second and third pagana was Dipumuden Maruhom who is quite active in NGO affairs. Just outside the place was a group of men and women providing music from gongs and drums and a xylophone.

* * *

We returned to Cagayan for our flight back the next day, but not before we had gone to the Marawi public market for lanzones and durian, and batik, cotton bed sheets (from Indonesia and Malaysia), at terribly low prices. There was plenty of RTWs, silver trays and food containers from Bangkok – at terribly low prices. The market makes Marawi a tourist destination. You should go there and do your shopping for Christmas gifts.

* * *

There's so much to say, but so little space. But we thank the many professors of MSU for being great and wonderful hosts. To name some, Dr. Nainoba (Nancy) Naiman Disumangcop; Prof. Norkaya S. Mohamad, Dr. Minang D. Sharief, Prof. Marlene H. Tamano, and Prof. Norhata M. Alonto, who is in charge of Muslim Affairs with the Presidential Commission for the Urban Poor. To Dr. Umpa, and Dr.Carahodin A. Cali, our thanks.

* * *

My e-mail address: [email protected].