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"SEVEN
REASONS WHY WE DON’T WANT TO BE FILIPINOS"
By
Ramesh A. Dataya, Copyright 1998
Some
say it’s a pretty simple topic, while others say it
is a very complex one. But for Muslims like me, writing
about the Moro People’s struggle for independence is
definitely no easy thing to do. It’s as if you feel
your blood shooting to high temperatures as you discuss
– point by point – why we deserve to be independent
and how we have been oppressed all these years. To add
insult to the injury, you don’t even know if the government
would ever listen, either.
Tired
from the serious and phalanx approach Moro writers usually
use when tackling this subject, let me adhere to a more
conventional and readable way of discussing the subject
matter. And rather than state why we want to become
independent, let us instead know the reasons why we
don’t want to become Filipinos, at least for a change.
Here are seven such reasons, and in no apparent order.
Please read on…
We
don’t want to become Filipinos because…
1.
We don’t want Erap as our leader.
Why
would a Moro want a forgetful liar as their leader?
A year ago, president Estrada declared that he would
not give independence to Mindanao because such requires
constitutional changes, which he says he would NEVER
allow to happen through-out his administration. His
cache: " I must defend the constitution I’m
sworn to protect!" Now, one year later, however,
it is Estrada himself who wants the congress to make
new charter amendments, saying the country needs it
badly to overcome its’ economic problems. I wonder
whatever happened to his cache.
2.
We don’t want to sleep with the enemy.
The
Americans have been one of the most hated enemies
of our Moro Homeland, killing many of our Muslim leaders
in the early 1900’s and, worse, they even threatened
to subjugate and Christianize the Moro people back
then. Now, these Americans are back to the beloved
Moro territory, no thanks to the VFA. This is the
prime reason why Moros are not enthralled with the
controversial agreement.
3.
We don’t want the pig as our national animal.
Our
Islamic officials have very little power when it comes
to the determination of national interests, like for
example the selection of our national animal, anthem,
bird, etc. Though this may seem as a very petty matter,
it can actually be a destructive one. This just goes
to show that the Moros have very little power – or
none at all – within the Philippine government. So
just imagine what will happen if the pig is eventually
voted to replace the Eagle as the Philippine national
animal.
4.
We don’t want to be the minority in a land where we
are the true majority.
Muslims
enrolled in priest-ran schools in Mindanao such as
Ateneo, UIC and Holy Cross, are often alienated from
the non-Muslims. In most cases, they are even unwilling
targets of bias and criticisms. Of course, I should
know. I’ve been to some of these schools and you’ll
be appalled at how some nuns, teachers and even fellow
students treat these poor Muslims. In fact, I remember
the time when my teacher said: "These Muslims
want Mindanao to be independent. Sino sila para
sumabi ng ganyan?" There was also a time
when an angry Christian student screamed at another
fear-stricken Muslim boy: "Sabi ng mama ko,
kayong muslim mga traydor!" Those incidents
happened ten years ago. Insha Allah, that kind of
maltreatment should stop!
5.
We don’t see any form of autonomy within the ARMM.
Those
who think of the Autonomous Region of Muslim Mindanao
as an autonomous government are only those in Malacanang,
the Congress and the Senate only. Well, that’s only
because they’re a bunch of hypocrites. Autonomy is
the power or right to self-government, but is the
ARMM truly a region with a government of its’ own?
The answer is NO. The decision about the postponement
of the upcoming ARMM elections, in fact, does not
lie within the ARMM, but with the Philippine government.
So it just shows that the ARMM is nothing but a platoon
of dummies. There is indeed no form of autonomy within
the said region that it is better scrap the letter
A in the ARMM. What hypocrisy!
6.
We are tired of promises or assurances of support
from the Philippine government.
You
can’t blame Salamat Hashim and the MILF for doubting
the Philippine Government’s sincerity about finally
settling the centuries old-problems of Mindanao. Mr.
Hashim simply doesn’t want to commit the same mistake
of Nur Misuari, the MNLF leader who was signed to
a peace pact in 1996 but whose conditions were eventually
ignored by the government one-by-one. In his mind,
it is difficult to trust something (the Philippine
government) that – as history clearly shows – is littered
with lies and double-cross, so he is just being cautious
with his moves. After all, you can’t easily trust
the people of that religion where Judas belongs.
7.
We do not want to be called Filipinos simply because
we are not Filipinos.
At
the first place, we are not Filipinos even. The Spaniards
never conquered our ancestors of this Moro Homeland,
and in fact they even referred to Mindanao as a separate
nation. Thus, the Americans’ purchase of the Philippines
from Spain that included Mindanao is questionable.
This is something that has been overlooked throughout
our history, and right now the image of Mindanao becoming
the old and free nation it once was may never become
a reality anymore. May Allah provide us more strength
to face – and eventually reverse – this agony.
Of
course, there are so many more reasons out there. But
from the mindset of a true Moro, however, the seven
reasons stated above are the most glaring ones. These
seven epitomize what we fear will happen to the Moro
homeland in the not-so-distant future. Indeed you don’t
want a pot-bellied liar as a leader. Of course you don’t
want to sleep with the enemy. Indeed you don’t want
your race to be marginalized. Of course you don’t see
any form of autonomy in the supposedly autonomous ARMM.
Indeed we’re tired of broken promises. Of course we
aren’t Filipinos so we shouldn’t be called such. And
why would a Muslim ever want a pig to be his nation’s
most beloved animal?
In
short, all these reasons properly denote the very cause
of our struggle, while also reminding us exactly why
we want to become independent and why we feel being
oppressed. Indeed, becoming independent is the Moro
nation’s singular dream, and Insha Allah, that
dream will come true.
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