A stranger smile of hopes….
After a strenuous but enthusing day I decided to allow myself to have a leeway from work. A night of dazzling pictures and heart pounding Dolby surround sound system mesmerized my thought. It’s been quite a while since I went out with my barkadas on a weekday. But I must admit, though it is sacrificial, I became more focused and interested in my job. And I actually like what I’m doing and what I’m becoming of now…. Anyway, I took a cab and went to my usual tambayan. While on the road, the taxi driver, Lito, started to chat with me. He talked about the traffic and suggested we take the Paseo de Roxas instead of EDSA so that we’ll reach the place in shorter time and escaped the horrible traffic jam. Then he suddenly became more personal and asked me the nature of my job and my age. As a free-spirited young man with a sanguine personality I scholarly discussed my current position and took pride of the company I am connected. Then I decided to make the most of his company. I asked him of his provincial origin (because almost all taxi drivers I’ve come to know are all bisaya from either Mindanao or Visayas and that makes me feel comfortable). He said he is from Laguna (a place I don’t consider a province due to its proximity to the big metro). When it was his time to ask about my home town, he was a bit confused when I told him I’m from Cotabato City. He looked at me closely and said “I am sure you’re not a Muslim, but how come you were born and raised in that place? Isn’t that a troubled place with all the conflicts and those bad reports?” I sighed, and told him with might that I am raised and named as a Muslim. In fact I boasted that my name Selahuddin is so famous in the seven parts of the world and even beyond that I fear of not giving it justice for having it. I even told him that my name came from “Sultan Salahuddin Ayubi”, the hero of hundreds of battles, was the person who for twenty years braved the storm of the Crusaders and ultimately pushed back the combined forces of Europe which had come to swarm the Holy Land. The world has hardly witnessed a more chivalrous and humane conqueror. Then he said “You really don’t look like a Muslim.” I feel offended but I l look at myself wearing a corporate attire with no beard at all and sighed. I explained to him that the physical appearance does not define our faith but rather our firm belief and trust in our faith. I told him that a true Muslim is hygienic and always strives to look good and proper at all times. While he is nodding, I championed the more appealing qualities of a true Muslim and even cited the bible as a testament to the resemblances of the teachings of I’sah (Jesus, alaihis sallam) with the Prophet Muhammad (sallallahu aalihi wssallam) regarding cleanliness and proper grooming. Before I slept that night, I tried remembering my encounter with Lito. Then I recall the emotion I felt when he assumed of my religious affiliation. I realized that all this time, Many people still don’t know what a Moro is. A lot of people still have a different picture of a Moro in their mind. However, I ended up asking myself, do I really know who I am and why am I a Moro. For sure, I know how to eat palapa (a uniquely blended spices with chili pepper as the main ingredients) or wear malong (a customary woven cloth) and sometimes go to the mosque but are these enough for me to be called a Moro? What made me a Moro? How do I differ from the people I’m working with? Or is it important for me to have a distinction? That made me decide to read Salah Jubair’s Bangsamoro: A Nation Under Endless Tyranny, a scholarly written book on the historical, socio-political, and even economical accounts of the Bangsamoro. The book tells about the real story of the Bangsamoro’s eminent period in the history and the disheartening current circumstances of the Moros today. Shameful of my limited knowledge of my history and culture as a descendant of Jamiyun Kulisa and Tuan Masaika (both are believed to be the firsts identified persons who inhabited Sulu), I vowed to learn more of me as a Moro, a name that the Filipinos should be proud of. Because it was the Moros who succeeded in holding the Spanish colonization in abeyance and it was the name that first caught the attention of Madrid, London, Lisbon, and later America. And as the time capsule takes me to the deepest period of our history, I’ve come to understand that the name Moros refers to someone who is wise, just, good, and brave! There are numerous books and accounts that conceitedly talks about the Moros and the Mindanao, but invariably though, many historians have been biased or should I say oblivious in their vision to feel and grasp the totality of the real conditions of the Moros and our homeland. But even the present BM have been understanding deeply the history and the current struggle of the Moros, one can realize that the ferment beneath the conflict in Mindanao is profoundly embedded in our search for the national identity which we enjoyed way back before the Spaniards came. And a retrospective analysis of it could make one conclude that for four centuries of struggles, injustices and discrimination against the Moros still persist even in this modern time. Cynics may carelessly say that we might be the worse people in this planet ! But nay, the truth is, we, the Bangsamoro of Mindanao, like any other nation, can be as sincere and trustworthy; because we believe in the oneness of God and that everyone is equal in the eyes of God; because we can feel, understand, and even tolerate; because we know how to respect and ask for respect; because our contention is to do good to ourselves and to other people; because we don’t trample the rights of others as much as we don’t want others to stamp on our maratabat too! And undoubtedly, if there is anyone, anyone who craves for just and honorable peace, he is the Moro, because all throughout his existence he never tasted one! The world is changing so fast, but our once progressive and rich Mindanao is now behind almost everything. We suffered a lot from hardships and sorrows and we only realize now that we are indeed on the verge of extinction; socially, culturally, politically, economically, and even as a nation. Ironically, amidst these dilemmas and misfortunes, I still feel that we Bangsamoros are fortunate. Some may take this as an illusion but for me all of the questioning, the probing, and the defending or even asserting of our identity is an indication that we are a proud Moro. We are a brave and a courageous nation who unquenchably seek out for the truth and fight for the right. We do not easily give up and we can never be oblivious to the death of our forefathers who had fought for our freedom and well-being throughout our generation and perhaps the generations to come. But our time recognized that war itself is not the ideal way to achieve what we need but rather our faith and trust to one another and our common goal to make a meaningful change and to seek for a lasting solution. Certainly, we understand that change must begin from within us. Ultimately, the transformation from within each of us transforming into a more unified stance and action may be the more essential change that each of us should take to lead Mindanao and the whole Philippines towards development and prosperity. I understand that some of our leaders and many leaders of this country are responsible in our current hardships and confusions because they are self-serving rather than serving leaders. All the power, money, fame, and recognition move up the hierarchy, and they forget about us. Also, I am not unmindful of the devious and treacherous skills of the conquistadores in their sugar-coated baits alluring some of our poor leaders to mislead the Bangsamoro into a more destructive and hopeless future. But indeed the angst of realities strike me for we also have our share of the blames for we allow them, because we elected them and even to the extent of re-electing them in exchange for a day or perhaps a week’s meal. Nevertheless I am optimistic that things are changing right now. Many of the young Moros of today are getting up, and looking for the circumstances we want and if we can’t find them, make them. Many of us are not afraid to speak of the truth and stand firmly for what is right. The Moro Youth of today has more reasons to believe in trusting one another, in understanding more of each other, and bridging to one another by constant communication to support our visions, our ultimate goal, or that give us mobility to change direction. I am certain that majority of us believe that our visions, our values, and our vitalities for Mindanao will be the outcome. And certainly, it is during this period that indeed we witness how each one of us tries to be purposeful, conscious, caring, and careful to one another. We are actually witnessing the rebirth of a true Moro identity – never a coward, always seeks for truth, constantly vigilant, forever mindful of the past, the present and the future, tries to be righteous and just, and determined to make a meaningful change by learning from previous mistakes! And this is strongly exemplified by the fact that we are starting to put our faith to one another and we are proud that we have built enough of a network that we know through it we can create opportunities from opportunities until we find a long-lasting solution to our problem in Mindanao and the Philippines as a whole. I forgot where I’ve learned this notion of becoming an island of positive influence because all we read in the newspaper today are nothing, nothing but the rottenness of our political, economic, and social conditions. We forget to look at the unnamed and thousand people out there working everyday and trying to make a difference, and nobody thinks its news for a Moro. But for now, let me take a deep breath for I know that a time will come when there is no turning back, no stopping for every Bangsamoro in achieving progress, development, and freedom. I’ll brace myself for I see in the near future how many of us today are more willing to give their best to regain the lost eminence of the Bangsamoro. As long as we stand undivided and understand one another. May the Almighty One heed this humble prayer!
