BJE to govern Mindanao and Palawan including the indigenous people

“The Bangsamoro Juridical Entity (BJE) to be formed under the document would in effect govern all of Mindanao and Palawan, as well as the “lumad” [indigenous peoples] in Mindanao and their ancestral lands, said Justice Antonio Carpio in a headline by the Philippine Daily Inquirer today following the oral arguments held at the Supreme Court yesterday.

Nothing to worry though as the Memorandum of Agreement on the Ancestral Domain is not yet signed.

Few days before the oral arguments, I actually believed that the Bangsamoro Judirical Entity (BJE) is a fair mechanism to harmonize the Muslim,Christians and the lumads of Mindanao. I thought that by allowing our Muslim brothers to realize their self-determination, it would be that easy. Now things are going complicated.

Let us try to roll back the time and see if who’s property is Mindanao. Here’s what wiki says about the island centuries ago:

“Mindanao is named after the Maguindanaons. Evidence of human occupation dates back tens of thousands of years. In prehistoric times the Negrito people arrived. Sometime around 1500 BC Austronesian peoples spread throughout the Philippines and far beyond.

Islam spread to the region during the 13th century AD and Philippine sultanates were established, like that of Sulu and Maguindanao. In the late 16th to early 17th century, first contact with Spain occurred, with Spanish forces trying to occupy the area.

Today the region is home to the country’s Muslim or Moro populations, composed of many ethnic groups such as the Maranao and the Tausug, the Banguingui (users of the vinta), and the collective group of tribes known as the Lumad.

Contrary to common belief, only a portion of Mindanao was inhabited by Muslims after the arrival of Islam. In fact, most of the people in the northern and eastern part of the island practiced native religions before they were converted to Christianity. Nonetheless, a bitter struggle for independence has been waged by various Muslim factions for five centuries against successive occupiers. Spanish, American, Japanese, and government forces failed to quell the desire for separation from the largely Christian nation. Due to an influx of migration, as well as evangelization, the majority of Mindanao’s population is now predominantly Christian. This has caused some resentment among the poor and seemingly displaced Muslims which in turn fuels the more violent and radical separatist movements that have been occurring recently”.—–

When I was in fourth grade, social science taught me that before there were any religions in the Philippines, our ancestors worship deities or “anitos“. Yes, let us admit that Islam landed in our land first and that Christianity came with the Philippines or specifically Mindanao already having Muslim settlers. In fact, even way before Magellan came, the Sultanate of Sulu and Maguindano are already established.

Long before Islam and Christianity reached our land, we were the same people worshiping fire, the river and the skies. Then Islam came and baptized a portion of the island’s people- let me make it clear and reiterate the phrase “a portion”.

Our ancestors who where converted into Islam established the present smallest unit of local government- the barangay. Before, it’s called “balangay“. Then evolved into the so called sultanate- a much bigger government. While Islam was on its peak during those times, let us not forget that there remained “a portion” of the early population untapped by Islam. We call them the lumad or the indigenous people today.

When the Spaniards came, a lot of Muslims were also Christianized. Even a portion of the indigenous people also recognized the religion. But there still remained a portion of the population who still prays to their anitos.

Time passed by, with the migration of some tribes like Ilonggo, Ilocano and Bisaya (who happens to be Christians) to Mindanao, the Muslim people were outnumbered.

For me it’s not a matter of being the Christians or Muslims governing Mindanao. Let us think of our history. Let us trace back our heritage. We were not the Muslim or Christian that branded us today. We were the lumads. we were the same indigenous people. We were the same people long way before Islam and Christianity came into our land. Yes, you are a Muslim or a believer in Christ today, but you were the same people who worshiped the moon yesterday.

Mindanao, so to speak, is our ancestral domain whether you are a Christian, a lumad or a Muslim. Christians do not own Mindanao. Muslim too. Even the lumads. It’s all ours.

—–

credits to: wikipedia.org and inquirer.net

~ by kenodalo on August 17, 2008.