By : AQUILES ZONIO AND
KARLOS MANLUPIG
ALLAHU
AKHBAR!.... Members of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front shout Allahu Akhbar,
or God is great, as they gather at their stronghold at Camp Darapanan in
Maguindanao province in southern Philippines to coincide with the tentative
peace-signing agreement between MILF and the Government at Malacanang, Monday.
CAMP DARAPANAN, Maguindanao,
Philippines : Kim Aloy’s tears freely flowed down his cheeks as Moro Islamic
Liberation Front (MILF) chair Murad Ebrahim was speaking in Malacañang about
the framework agreement for peace.
“Those were tears of joy,”
Aloy later told the Philippine Daily Inquirer.
Aloy was among some 2,000
fully armed MILF fighters, who lined up for formation starting 7 a.m. on
Monday, and patiently waited for the developments of the signing of the
preliminary accord.
Like his colleagues in the
Bangsamoro Islamic Armed Forces (BIAF), Aloy listened intently to the radio
broadcast of the developments in Malacañang, which was beamed over a loud
speaker placed on a stage decorated in bright colors of gold, green and purple.
An MILF flag was also
raised.
When it was Murad’s turn to
speak, many of them started to be emotional under the scorching heat but
maintained composure.
As those in Malacañang
clapped their hands in between Murad’s lines, Aloy and his colleagues would
also raise their firearms and chant “Allahu Akbar (God is Great).” Other MILF
members not in formation raised clenched fists and joined the takbir.
For Aloy, the tears that he
shed as Murad was speaking manifested his joy over the agreement.
“I am just very happy that
both parties reached an agreement. I cried out of joy,” he said.
Aloy, 21, said he only
joined the BIAF four years ago but he knew the Moro people fought hard for
self-determination for years.
“Now we have seen the fruit
of that struggle,” he said.
Ismael Kasan, 26, said he
was just a boy in 2000 when then president Joseph Estrada declared an all out
war against the MILF.
But he said he knew of the
many sufferings the MILF guerrillas endured during that time, which was why he
could not hold back his tears when the agreement was signed on Monday.
In his mind were those who
perished in the revolution. “They did
not see the coming of this day when the MILF signed the agreement,” Kasan said.
As President Aquino was
speaking, some people inside the camp would occasionally clap their hands.
But Aloy, Kasan and the
other MILF fighters in formation, just listened to what the President said.
When the voice on the radio
announced the conclusion of the signing ceremonies, the BIAF forces interlocked
their arms, sang a solidarity song in Arabic as more of them wept, before
saying a short prayer of thanks.
Mohammad Nasif, camp
commander of Darapanan, said the mood was celebratory among the more than 5,000
people – including BIAF members – who came over to show support to the signing
of the initial agreement.
It was only about 4 p.m.
when the BIAF forces and the MILF supporters dispersed after partaking of some
food they have prepared.
In Davao City, some 200
Muslim Kalagans also converged in a rally in support of the signing. They were joined by Muslim businessmen, who
even shut down their shops, in deference to the event.
Those in the rally wore
anything green, representing the MILF color. Women wore green hijabs while the
men wore green shirts or ribbons.
Even if the agreement would
not have a direct impact on the Moros of Davao, Imam Hamidon Owayan from the
Moro community in Caliclic in the Island Garden City of Samal said they were
happy for their Muslim brothers and the entire Bangsamoro.
The rallyists, who converged
at the Freedom Park in Davao City, also brought with them posters that thanked
the United States for its support to the peace process.
Ommsalam Gawan, a
60-year-old Kalagan leader, said they understood that the agreement did not
automatically spell betterment for the Moro people.
“This is just the first
step. The success will depend on the Moro people, we must work on it,” she
said. With a report from Ayan Mellejor, Inquirer Mindanao.
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