WAO, Lanao del Sur (MindaNews / 10 March) — Residents of this town fear a return to its bloody past – a time in the 1970s when land conflict pitted the Christian settlers against the native Moro inhabitants – if a bill proposing to divide it into two pushes through at the Bangsamoro Parliament.
Parliament Bill No. 271 filed by Member of Parliament Ali Montana Babao seeks to create a new town in Lanao del Sur, the Municipality of Saripada, to be carved out from 11 of 26 barangays of this progressive second-class town. Babao is from Lanao del Sur.
The proposed new town will comprise Barangays Western (Poblacion), Pilintangan, Kadingilan, Buntongan, Balatin, Panang, Mimbuaya, Park Area, Muslim Village, Buot and East Kili-Kili. Pilintingan will be the seat of the municipal government.
“There will be trouble here if that bill is passed,” Joana Pallorina, who was watching from the store where she works as indignant residents held a rally at the town plaza on Thursday to denounce the bill, told MindaNews.
Wao Mayor Elvino Balicao Jr., said the creation of the new municipality comprising the 11 barangays, which have predominantly Moro residents, would create misunderstanding, disunity and distrust among Christians and Muslims.
Aside from that, Balicao said the division would leave many government buildings to the new town, reducing Wao into a third-class municipality.
“This will slow down the growth of Wao due to the reduction of land area, decline in business activity resulting in lower revenue and the reduction of the National Tax Allocation,” he said.
It is, however, the town’s violent past that scares most residents.
Pallorina said Christian and Muslim residents fought against each other in the bloodiest communal violence recorded in the 1970s.
She said her family, which hails from Pampanga in Luzon and fought against the Muslims, wants to forget that harrowing history.
She said the violence started when Moro residents demanded the return of their lands.
“I have to make plans to go back to Pampanga if there would be renewed fighting,” she said.
Another resident, Arjay Turio, recalled the bloody events that followed after President Ferdinand Marcos issued Presidential Decree No. 1243, creating the municipality of Amai Manabilang, which was carved from Wao.
“Muslims looked at Christians as land grabbers while Christians branded Muslims as criminals. We do not want that to happen again in the future,” Turio said.
Bangsamoro Transition Authority (BTA) Deputy Floor Leader Mary Ann Arnado said she is sad about Babao’s bill, which had passed the first reading in the Bangsamoro Parliament.
Arnado said Babao had been urging for the bill to undergo second reading but it had not gained support from fellow parliament members.
“It will not gain any support despite Babao’s urging considering the pain it has caused to the Wao residents,” Arnado said.
She said the BTA will find time to go to Wao to assure the residents that the parliament will not be instrumental in dividing the town.
BTA members Rasul Enderez and Rasol Mitmog also echoed Arnado’s sentiments, adding they will move to kill the bill during their session. (Froilan Gallardo/MindaNews)
