The former residence of the late Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) chairman Sheikh Salamat Hashim in Barira town, Maguindanao del Norte has been formally recognized by the Bangsamoro government as a historical site to honor his legacy, the Bangsamoro Information Office said in a press release Monday. The Bangsamoro Commission for the Preservation of Cultural Heritage (BCPCH) last week unveiled a marker at Hashim’s house located in the former Camp Abubakar in recognition of the site’s “significant role in shaping the Bangsamoro History.” BCPCH Chairperson Dr. Salem Lingasa stated, “It is only right that we begin here, at Camp Abubakar, in the heart of a place that has witnessed so much of our history, and in the residence of a leader whose name and life are etched in the consciousness of every Bangsamoro.” An eco-park is also set to be established in the camp pursuant to the Bangsamoro Autonomy Act No. 61, or the “Bangsamoro Memorial Marker Act of 2024.” BCPCH has identified additional historical sites across all BARMM provinces where more markers will be installed. The former MILF stronghold, captured by government troops during the 2000 “all-out war” by the Estrada administration, is now the headquarters of the 1st Marine Brigade. Hashim broke away from the Moro National Liberation Front and founded the MILF in 1977 to continue the struggle for an independent Bangsamoro homeland after MNLF founding chair Nur Misuari entered into peace negotiations with the Marcos government that resulted in the 1976 Tripoli Agreement. The MILF later dropped its bid for secession in favor of autonomy, leading to peace talks that produced the Comprehensive Agreement on the Bangsamoro (CAB), and subsequently the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao. Camp Abubakar, along with five other recognized MILF camps, is undergoing transformation as part of the normalization phase under the CAB. Hashim’s residence, nestled in the forest adjoining the camp proper, is a reinforced concrete structure atop a low-lying hill surrounded by indigenous trees and has become a haven for bats. The camp once served as the largest base of the Bangsamoro Islamic Armed Forces, the military arm of the MILF, where government troops met fierce resistance before overrunning it. (MindaNews)
