April Updates

I have not written anything for this blog for the month of March—for the past several months, in fact, since I have just been cheating in my previous ten posts or so. Most of them are merely lifted from a book and other sources.

I got preoccupied with what I believe is an important project. I also just lost interest in updating this blog. For several days, I even made this blog private and seriously considered setting it so for good. You see, doing a thankless job can be draining. I don’t earn anything, money or otherwise, from writing in this blog, and every now and then I ask myself why the heck I continue doing this. I don’t have to, and sometimes I don’t want to.

For the said reason, I have resolved to update this blog just whenever I want to. I’ll stop trying to beat my self-imposed weekly deadline. On one hand, this will mean unpredictable schedule of posts. On the other hand, this might result to better-written posts. Only one thing is sure: I won’t close or delete this blog—at least for the next few months.

I no longer post selfies on Facebook, but I can’t fully resist the temptation yet, so I’ll do it here—hopefully just this time or for personal updates only. I’m catching fish here, by the way. When I went to a relative’s house this Holy Week, in the mountainous half of Bagumbayan town, we drained their fish pond because we abstained from eating meat. I couldn’t resist the mud, so I waded in even if my huge wound on my feet had not completely healed.

Holy Week in Bagumbayan Town

My companions were laughing at how badass we must have looked, and in my mind I told myself I had no business being with them. As a thirty-year-old, I was supposed to be mature and responsible. I had no business riding a motorcycle in a rocky and sloping road with five other guys. Even if the motorcycle was designed to carry several passengers, it still didn’t have enough space for us. Two among us had to sit on the tank in front of the driver—sideways, one on the other’s lap.

My companions, including the driver, were my younger brother and my nephews. They were aged sixteen to twenty and thus had an excuse to be wild and free and stupid. I had none, except maybe for the fact that I didn’t have much choice. Riding the motorcycle all together was the most efficient way for us to get where we were headed.

It was Good Friday of this year, and we were on our way to Guano—a sitio (hamlet) of Masiag village, Bagumbayan town—to explore the two caves in the area and watch a series of horse fights. We had come from the nearby village of Monteverde, where the previous day, Holy Thursday, we scaled the Toro-toro, one of the most distinctive peaks of Cotabato Cordillera.

The road between Masiag and Monteverde, just like most of the roads in the mountains of Bagumbayan, made for a most inconvenient ride. We were a little lucky because El Niño had been going on for months and the road had been dry. We only had to negotiate protruding rocks. During rainy days, the rocks, exacerbated by mud, could make the road so dangerous that many people traveling in the area for the first time would cry, swear not to come back, or both.

Our cramped arrangement elicited jokes from my nephews about squashed penises and torn asses. The whole thing was a harmless joke for them, while I was thinking that if my nephew who was driving made even just a minor lapse in judgment, or one of us passengers moved when we were not supposed to, it would be such a tragedy for the entire family. My parents would be left childless. Fortunately and unfortunately, I didn’t have to worry about accidents. The mere act of breathing was difficult. Whenever the motorcycle was running downhill or along a stretch of half-buried rocks, our chests would press or bump hard against each other, which made me understand the pre-mortem agony of stampede victims.

The ride was over in just thirty minutes or so, but because mortal danger hanged in the air in every minute of it, it felt as though we would never reach our destination. It was the most dangerous part of my four-day visit to the village of Monteverde, specifically in Sitio Miasong, where my cousin and her family lives. (On our way back from Sitio Guano, two of my nephews rode other motorcycles.) The ride, though, was neither the most challenging nor physically demanding. As mentioned earlier, we climbed a mountain and explored caves (which also involved climbing mountains). We also helped empty a pond to harvest the fish in it, watched a horse-fighting event, and spent idle hours with relatives catching up on one another’s lives. It was an experience worth sharing, I believe, and in the coming days, I will make additional posts on some of those activities.

Photos: (1) It seems to me that there are balete trees everywhere in Sitio Miasong. The tree normally starts as a small plant that clings to and sucks the life out of another tree. (2) The mouth of Guano Cave looks big in this photo, but I tell you, it’s way bigger in person. (3) My brother tries to hide his exhaustion behind a smile. The peak of the Toro-toro looks so near on this spot, but the worst of our trek is yet to come.

SNA Town Officials

Elected Officials of the Municipality of Senator Ninoy Aquino
2013–2016

Mayor: Dante S. Manganaan
Vice Mayor: Emelly H. Delos Santos

Sangguniang Bayan Members:
Randy L. Ecija
Marlon R. Baldonado
Rafael Jorge L. Flauta III
Jimmy Albaracin
Robert Rivera
Marjhomie M. Idio
Ramil Cataluña
Angelita Cabigayan

Maguindanao Art and Culture

The Maguindanaos produce fine handicrafts such as brass ware, hand woven malongs, mats and baskets. They are musically inclined, with the kulintang as principal instrument. Their kulintang ensemble has two more large gongs than that of the Maranaos.

One notable characteristic of Maguindanao dance is its faster, rougher steps and movements derived from the movement of the river, unlike the slow almost placid hands and body movements of the Maranao which is similar to the movement of the lake.

(Blogger’s note: This post is the last part of an eight-part series on the Maguindanao people. Each part is posted every Monday starting December 8, 2014. The text is copied as it appears in Defending the Land: Lumad and Moro People’s Struggle for Ancestral Domain in Mindanao. The book, published by a consortium of non-government organizations, has an “anti-copyright” notice and may thus be freely reproduced.)

The Maguindanao and Their Ancestral Tales

One of the most popular epics among the Maguindanaos of Bagumbayan concerns the adventures of Pinatikan in Slatan.

Pinatikan, a brave warrior and a local datu, enjoyed hunting for pleasure. On one of his hunting expeditions, he chanced upon an old Manobo couple in Slatan, who readily welcomed him as guest. While eating his meal, Pinatikan noticed a beautiful lady. He later learned that she was the lost Bai Masla, taking refuge at the couple’s house.

Upon learning of her ordeal, Pinatikan claimed that she was his pre-arranged bride and asked to marry her. The old couple agreed on condition that he must slay the monster Tarabusaw who was tormenting the residents of Slatan. He accepted the challenge and headed immediately to the monster’s lair.

Pinatikan engaged Tarabusaw in a fierce battle. In the fight, he lost his golden shield and sword at a nearby lake. The hard-fought battle ended in a stalemate. Pinatikan went to the old couple’s house and reported what happened. Sensing Pinatikan’s determination, the couple decided to stop Pinatikan from fighting the monster and yielded to his marriage proposal to Bai Masla, on the condition that he would leave his lost weapons behind. Thereafter, Pinatikan married Bai Masla and they lived happily.

People believe that the golden weapons left behind by Pinatikan became the source of gold deposits found in Slatan.

(Blogger’s note: This post is the seventh part of an eight-part series on the Maguindanao people. Each part is posted every Monday starting December 8, 2014. The text is copied as it appears in Defending the Land: Lumad and Moro People’s Struggle for Ancestral Domain in Mindanao. The book, published by a consortium of non-government organizations, has an “anti-copyright” notice and may thus be freely reproduced.)

Maguindanao Kinship and Social Ties

There are four categories within the Maguindanao society. This social stratification became evident with the advent of the sultanate in Maguindanao. Kabungsuan is the core nobility or Datu class; Kasteri and Hamaraja are the marginal Dumatu class; Imatampayan and Slanganun are the Endatuan commoners and Oripon and Baniaga are servants, otherwise known as Kanakan.

This form of status differentiation occurs more at the level of discerning privileges and rights to hereditary titles. The Shariph Kabungsuan lineage is the highest descent of religious status because he was of Arab Sayyid descent. The Sultanate of Maguindanao credits Arab ancestry in reference to their light complexion and aquiline features.

Some studies describe the stratification as a scale of upward and downward mobility expressed in terms of a kind and size of bride-price (bantigan) that specifies the exact status of inter-class marriages. In the Maguindanao codes, the broad gradation of ranks is in terms of size of bantigan. It ranges from P1,000, 700, 500 and 300 required as dowry within a given class. Thus, pre-arranged inter-class [intra-class?] marriages were prevalent to guarantee and preserve the integrity and status of the clan.

A typical Maguindanaon household unit is basically nuclear. However, extended families are also evident among big clans, where relatives—either by blood or marriage—live under one roof. This explains why ancient houses were big enough to accommodate three to four families.

On the basis of genealogy, identification of kinship is possible on two levels—clan (tupu) and lineage (waris). The tupu is a kinship group of extended families of unilineal descent, as distinguished from those of royal descent (barabangsa). The waris betad is a bilateral kinship system, useful in authenticating pedigrees concerning marriage, inheritance or property rights. a

(Blogger’s note: This post is the sixth part of an eight-part series on the Maguindanao people. Each part is posted every Monday starting December 8, 2014. The text is copied as it appears in Defending the Land: Lumad and Moro People’s Struggle for Ancestral Domain in Mindanao. The book, published by a consortium of non-government organizations, has an “anti-copyright” notice and may thus be freely reproduced.)

Maguindanao Beliefs and Practices

With the advent of Islam, Maguindanaoans were among the first to embrace the religion. The Maguindanaos of Bagumbayan believe that Allah created the world for humankind to inhabit. For them, life on earth is temporary and one must live in righteousness and dignity to ensure salvation and eternal bliss in the hereafter.

Being direct descendants of the Amiruls or religious leaders, the descendants of Morodan are quite exemplar. They are inclined to maintain prestige, honor and credibility by strictly following ancient codes and ethics imposed by their early ancestors. For them, a dishonest person who does not honor his words is untrustworthy and undependable, hence he cannot credibly function in the community.

They strictly observe Adat Betad or moral values to maintain a dignified existence. An elder once said, one should always respect the dignity of anyone. If someone insults or threatens another, he must defend his honor, for the Quran teaches defending oneself against all forms of tyranny and evil.

This concept of pride preservation is manifested in the Maguindanaon’s strong adherence to protect the Maratabat (pride). This makes the Maguindanaons prone to clan conflicts (lido) that often end up in violence and death.

The realization that lido (clan war) is detrimental to the peace enjoyed by the community has led to peaceful conflict resolutions. Maintenance of peace is significant in their constantly threatened communities, prompting the leaders to undertake measures to prevent inter and intra clan conflicts.

Adat Betad in everyday life reflects the norms and values adopted by the community. These are the codified edicts embodying the norms and wisdom of pre-Islamic ancestors.

Traditional Maguindanaon ceremonies include Pabpagubad (healing), Puwasa (fasting), Hariraya Puwasa (breaking of fast), Mauludin Nabi (birth of Prophet Muhammad), Amon Jadid (Muslim new year) and other occasions.

Kanduli (thanksgiving) is an important occasion among the Maguindanaos of Bagumbayan. It is where a family asks for Allah’s assistance in their endeavors and offers their gratitude for all blessings. Kanduli ceremonies are festive occasions where the community gathers around to eat and share what they have.

Several persuasions significantly influenced the cultural beliefs of the natives before the Islamization in Mindanao. These influences are of Malay, Indonesian and Chinese origin. They include belief in charms, amulets and mysticism. The pagan nature of these practices has become controversial with the resurgence of Islamic fundamentalism. However, there are indications that some of these practices prevail in remote communities. Apart from these Islamic and traditional beliefs, the community is still known to engage in pre-Islamic practices of Agimat (charm or amulet) and Pantak (witchcraft or sorcery).

(Blogger’s note: This post is the fifth part of an eight-part series on the Maguindanao people. Each part is posted every Monday starting December 8, 2014. The text is copied as it appears in Defending the Land: Lumad and Moro People’s Struggle for Ancestral Domain in Mindanao. The book, published by a consortium of non-government organizations, has an “anti-copyright” notice and may thus be freely reproduced.)