Pilandok T-Shirts

If you have better design ideas, please post them in this thread. Design must be funny and have socially relevant expressions. We'll give away limited quantity of printed T-Shirts next year.

Peace Boulevard

On the subject of cleanliness, the Prophet (peace be upon him) said:

"Islam is clean, so cleanse yourselves, for only the cleansed shall enter Paradise." (At-Tabardini).

"Stay clean as best you can, for God established Islam upon cleanliness." (Ar-Rafi't)

I also heard from the Imam on last Friday's Jummah at San Jose downtown mosque that cleanliness is half of the faith. Obviously, Pilandok is missing the other half of his faith.

Tulisan

We need to know the candidates we elect. Amay ka kwan na aya tano pkabotowan na manga tulisan.

Barangay Election

Taking ideas from Bagisan, Wata sa Kaibarat, Kinala Tikha Tikhao, Maingko Maingko and other Pilandoks, Arata Wata suggest the following 3-way approach to solve election-related crimes in Ranao.

• Abolish elections. Appoint all elective positions.
• No salary for appointed officials. They get bonuses based on job performance.
• Downgrade titles, ie. use Barangay Sergeant instead of Barangay Captain.

My Great American Dream

By Anisha Elin Guro, New York City.

I confess that I had always dreamt of going to America ever since I was a kid. In my wildest dreams, I could see myself frolicking with kids my age-- playing under the trees, running across streams and chasing rabbits. Oh, the dreams that I dream when I was a kid! How could I blame people who have their own American dreams? I always had my own aspiration decades before I would actually feel the breeze that my imaginary little American friends enjoyed.

But, after few trips to America and having lived in New York City for over a year now, I can say that I have not really achieved my American dream. I have visited more States in the United States of America (USA) even more than some Americans have, but I could not find the America in my vision. Perhaps, I never will. Unhappily, I have to accept that the America of my childhood only existed in my fantasy.

I knew of course, even as a child, that the America I was imagining was a place that was already long lost and forgotten. I wasn’t expecting to see it but nonetheless, I was hoping to see a remnant of it, a memorandum, a reminder of that world long time ago before the founding fathers of the Land of the Free, Home of the Brave ever set foot on that continent and then robbed the real Free and the Brave of their beloved Turtle Island.

Finally, I met someone who would take me back to the America of my childhood. His name is Tom Porter. It is quite an easy name to remember I have to admit, rather than his other name: Sakokwenionkwas. He is a Mohawk, a member of the Bear Clan. His people (the Mohawk Nation) have joined other nations – Onondaga, Oneida, Cayuga, Seneca and Tuscarora to form the Six Nations. They are commonly known to us as the Indians of North America or the USA.

They are the original inhabitants of the USA, or the Turtle Island as they refer to their land. Of course, we all know that they no longer own their land. Some Europeans long time ago felt the need to establish their own empire away from the control of their own kings and queens and decided one day that they must have freedom, independence and land. Never mind if it meant snatching away other people’s freedom, independence and land.

Sakokwenionkwas talked about his people’s successful return to their ancestral homeland, Kanatsiohareke. People thought that after hundreds of years, it was impossible for the traditional Mohawk Indians not only to return to “The Place of the Clean Pot,” but also to practice their old ways, customs and traditions. But they made it and this inspiring story was the subject of Tom Porter’s book – Kanatsiohareke: Traditional Mohawk Indians Return to Their Ancestral Homeland.

This was the America I was thinking of when I was a little girl. I read about Indians in my story books. Most often, they weren’t portrayed nicely. They weren’t the good guys in the stories. But there was one story that remained etched in my memory. It is the story of a little Indian girl who strayed away from her home one cold day. After sometime, she needed to get warm and had no choice but to come into the log house of a family of White people.

Reluctantly, they let her in, although they were afraid of an ambush from the little Indian girl’s family. The story ended happily with the Indians “realizing” that the White people meant no harm with the little girl going home to her family. The White people? Well, they were happy that they need not use their guns. I guess, there is something in the parallelism of the real story of the Moro people and the Indian nations that made me think nicely, kindly and dreamily of the Indians instead of the people who wrote stories about them.

I was too young of course to think of that similarity. But, my sympathy always went with the Indians, not the blue-eyed young girls with golden hairs whose fathers had guns just in case they needed to shoot an Indian. When Sakokwenionkwas talked about his people, I could not help but identify myself with him. It was as if, a Moro was talking in front of me, instead of a Mohawk.

The Mohawk values that he explained to the audience, were the same values we hold dear. Mohawks don’t call elderly people by their first names. Elder people, regardless of your relation to them should either be called grandfather or grandmother. Like them, we also call our elderly either Bapa and Babo, or uncle or aunt respectively. If we have the same values, we also have the same problems.

The destruction of the Mohawks and the other Indian nations was not only by means of force. History bears witness that no amount of genocide could actually wipe out a whole group of people. The Mohawks survived. So did the Moros. Of course, the Jews, the Kurds, the Armenians, the Kosovars and the Bosnians and a whole lot others. But, there are other more subtle means that could exterminate a group of people.

The concept -- Kill the Indian, but Save the Man meant that the Indian will be forced, beguiled, persuaded, tricked, encouraged and lured to abandon his culture, religion, values and ways of life and become integrated into the mainstream culture. There were several ways these were achieved. Schools were put up that teach the native people ways that were different from their own. But, one of the most destructive was the introduction of alcohol and drugs. When these were introduced to the Mohawks, nobody need not destroy them. They did the job themselves.

It was like somebody telling me the story of the Moro people, the Meranaos most particularly. He said something that brought tears not only to his eyes but the audience as well who kept a stony silence as we waited for him to finish his story. I realized that it wasn’t without a good reason that I treasured the Indians in my heart ever since I was a young girl. My respect to the Indian chief grew as I listened to him say these words:

How do you deal with broken hearts? How do you touch a heart that’s broken? How do you tell them not to touch marijuana so they can have a good chance in life? You need to be a good mother and a good father. If you are a real Indian, you should never touch alcohol and drugs.

I could feel the hot tears in my eyes threatening to stream down my cheeks. This time, they weren’t only for the Mohawks. Those tears were also for us Meranaos. We may not have forgotten to call our elderly Bapa and Babo, but certainly, some of us have fallen preys to drug and alcohol, not merely as a vice but as a profession. Who among our elders had the courage to say to our brothers and sisters that if we are true Meranaos and royal-blood, we should never give in to drugs and drug-pushing? If there were, were these calls heeded at all? How come we Meranaos are ready to get at the throat of anybody who would force us to eat pork, and not at someone who would make us entirely forget who we are, what our dear ancestors died for that we may remain to be the Meranaos of yonder times?

Despite my tears and my numbing disenchantment about the plight of the Meranaos, I realized that somehow we are better survivors than the Mohawk Indians. We still have our land, Ranao. We still populate our land and unlike the Mohawks who could only dream one day or returning to their valley, which they did incidentally, we were able to hold on to our beloved land. Thanks to the bravery of Sultan Kudarat, Sultan Pandapatan of Bayang and Amai Pakpak who paid with their blood that we can hold our heads up high and retain our customs and traditions and still speak our language. Somehow, I saw a ray of hope for us. Perhaps it is not yet too late.

Perchance, we can still keep our society from disintegrating apart. Let us not dream of returning to our own valley. Let us keep our rolling hills and valleys while we still have the opportunity. And if we are to be true Meranaos, we should never touch drugs nor alcohol. The Mohawks have a term for these: something like mind changers. Indeed, these dangerous substances have a way of altering the minds of both the user and the pusher that they no longer think along the lines of morals, values, sanity and relations.

I was feeling nostalgic about my own people while Sakokwenionkwas was still discussing. I remembered finding an old picture from the internet of a Meranao datu on horseback wayback in the early 19th century who looked every bit an Indian without the feather headdress. I also found a lovely but foreboding picture of Moros together with some Americans. The writing on the photo reads : #34- Gen. Sumner’s Conference with Sultans of Bayang and Oato, At Camp Vicars Mindanao, P. 1. Perhaps, these were the same Sultans of Bayang and Wato who died that we may live with pride and honor. Perhaps, it was the last snapshot of the Moro Sultans before their Kris met the Krag. It wasn’t merely a coincidence that the Moros were called the Indians of the Philippines. We share the same courage, ferocity, valor and sadly, history. Suddenly, I realized that my beloved Indian Chief was no longer crying. He was relating another story.

Indeed, he is like our urban legend of a Meranao Bapa, full of stories, wit and humor. But I did not realize how closely they are alike until he shifted to another genre. He said that in one of the gatherings of the Six Nations, one of them came up with the solution to the problems of the Indians in North America. The proponent argued that the Six Nations need only to build a massive ship.

At that point, I was curious how could the building of a large vessel be the answer to the Indian’s woe? Then, he continued on quoting the advocate of that brilliant idea: “We will build a huge ship and then, we will put all the Europeans inside the ship and send them home!!!” The hall roared with laughter, even the White guests could not help but laugh. Of course, it was meant to be a joke, but, on the other hand…? Ha, perhaps we should also hire all the buses in Mindanao and put all the Visayans and the Luzones in those buses and send them home!

Eid El Fitr Celebration

As part of the Eid El Fitr celebration, the Maranaos in America member families and friends will be gathering at Ala Family's Torogan in Burbank, California on October 13, 2007. It will be a whole day affair at the Cabrini Villa Park with games for both young and old. The event is aimed at strenthening relationships of one another through sports. Chairman Michael Ringia takes charge of the affair with Mikie Macasimbar, Ruth Tabligan, Faridah Tampi and Mids Baruang. Everyone is invited to come! Free food.

Aminah Goling, 10.17.2007: As part of the celebration of the end of Ramathan, the Maranaos in America had its sportsfest on October 13, 2007, Saturday, at the Cabrini Villa Park, Burbank, California. The group was divided into two teams, the Team Blue and the Team Red. It was a lot of fun. Everybody enjoyed the games like the egg-throwing, badminton and kashako-sako.... The Team Blue garnered the championship trophy while the Team Red got the runner-up. We would like to share with you our captured happy moments.

We are beautiful

Antona a miyasowa ini i Pilandok? Miyadadag. Kiyalipatan iyan i kapaka popoon iyan na di niyan katawan i songowan iyan.

Pamikirangka man? Matay pn makaoma so manga Espanyol na so manga bai tano na lagid a giya a manga estudyante sa MSU so manga bangala iran. Banda mas mapiya siran on pn i ka kinikini kagiya adn a manga guro iran, labao ron so manga bai a lalaminn.

So manga loks tano na mapasang siran ka miyaka pangbaal siran sa taritib ago igma a pinaka sophisticated sa Pilimpinas. So ka kalilang tano, pd on so ka kolintang ago so kapag onor na da a piyagonaan iyan sa Pilimpinas.

Ino sktano a manga bago a Pilandok na ino tano di ipmaratabat so kapasang o manga loks tano na go tano piyapiya magingd? Ba dadn a miyalamba ko manga mbawataan i Rajah Soliman ago Rajah Indarapatra? Ka langon tano a minibago a Pilandok na poon ki Omakaan?

The current crop of Pilandoks is the worst generation of the proud and sophisticated Maranaw tribe. Why can't we learn and build on the achievements of our great grand parents so we can live happy in Ranao? The early Pilandoks have developed the most sophisticated political system in the country long before Magellan landed in Limasawa island. Hundreds of years ago, their women, especially the royals, wore similar dresses as those MSU students in the video. They were probably more graceful.

Ipmaratabat tano a kapakapiya a Ranao, kapakapiya a kapag ingd tano. Mbago tano sa okit.

Sakn mambo

I got sick when I was filming this video clip. I walked from Banggolo to Padian via the new Peace Boulevard (with all the sh**s around and narrowed road, the walk did not feel peaceful at all). I went to the Bayang pantalan, watched the kids swimming, walked to the fish and vegetable vendor shops (I think, that's where I got the virus) and walked back to Banggolo passing Rizal Park, which is now a Fire Department outpost (da nda a bambero iran, miyabinasa). Rizal was still there. But he was dirty and looked midget in his statue, banda miya pamankaw pn so inisemento ron.

I wanted this 29-second clip to be shown in the Marawi cable but the manager was asking money for air time. Taman sa di oman isa rktano na di niyan ipaliyogat sa ginawa niyan a makaogop sa giya kapmbago tano sa okit, na di tano dn makapiya. Amay ka aya bo a kapagogop o oman i isa na o kabgi sa perak na mapasang. I am not talking about the Cable Company, I understand it's just business.

I put English subtitle because I was thinking maybe this can be shown on nation-wide public television network. Unfortunately, there's no PBS in the country. Anyone who has contact with TV networks in Iligan, Cagayan de Oro or even Manila can email Arata Wata so I can send you a DVD copy of the clip. Vote buying is a nation-wide problem.

The Pilipino have stake in the Ranao politics because unlike what happens in Las Vegas, what happens in Ranao does not stay in Ranao. One of these days, Juan de la Cruz will start thinking and acting like Pilandok. We don't want that to happen.

Study Grant

A 1 year study grant for Mindanao State University Main Campus student is available. You must be a graduating student for a 4-year degree course and financially-challenged. Privileges include P1,000.00 a month stipend and P1,000.00 book allowance.

Write an essay about why you should be selected. Mention few lines about your vision for Ranao and how you can help your fellow Pilandok in the future. Email your essay to Arata Wata. Your academic records will be reviewed. Grant will be awarded in early September, 2007 but stipend will retroact to beginning of 2007-08 school year.

Last day for the submission of essay is Monday, August 27, 2007.

Usopay Cadar

Here’s something that all Maranaos can be proud of.

7.31.2007

Mr. Usopay Hamdag Cadar
Mindanao State University

Dear Mr. Cadar:

Greetings from the National Commission for Cultre and the Arts (NCCA)!

We are pleased to inform you that the Darangen Epic of the People of Lake Lanao has been proclaimed by the UNESCO as a Masterpiece of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity.

Related to this, the NCCA is planning to produce a multimedia packet to further promote the Darangen. The packet will contain a short video documentary on and a CD recording of the epic for distribution in libraries, schools, research centers, etc. To make it a really useful reference material, we plan to complement the recording with relevant information and at least portions of the epic.

In this light, we would like to seek your permission to reprint excerpts from your book "Context and Style in the Vocal Music of the Maranao in Mindanao, Philippines."

Blah, blah, blah, dah, dah, dah…

The following profile was taken from UCLA Center for Southeast Asian Studies, 1999-2000. You can also google Usopay Cadar and read about his great achievements in promoting M’ranao culture internationally.

Usopay H. Cadar holds a Ph.D. in ethnomusicology from the University of Washington, Seattle (1980). He is the Project Director and Master Performer of the Mindanao Kulintang Ensemble. He has taught on the music of Southeast Asia at the University of Washington, the University of Pittsburgh, Queen's University of Belfast, and Mindanao State University. Born in Taraka, Lanao del Sur, Philippines, Cadar is a talented performer who has pioneered the introduction of Fililpino traditional gong music to both the academic and the community environs of the West and has directed and performed the music in various concert settings. He has published many articles on Maranao music, including "Kolintang's Uniquely American Success" (forthcoming as part of a volume by the National Museum of Ethnology, Osaka, Japan), "The Maranao Kolintang Music and Its Journey in America" (Asian Music 27 [2] 1996: 131-48), and "The Role of Kolintang Music in Maranao Society" (in Selected Reports in Ethnomusicology, Institute of Ethnomusicology, UCLA, 2 (2) 1975: 49-65.

Kalilang in America

Salam rukano!

The Maranaos in America for Peace, Integration & Advancement will be holding its launching celebration and induction of officers on Sunday, September 2, 2007 at the Cabrini Villas Social Hall in Burbank, California. We would like to invite you to join us on this special occasion.

Maranaos in America for Peace, Integration & Advancement was formed to help build lasting relationships among the American Maranao community and work for their overall advancement through social/cultural activities, educational seminars, job placement, networking, and outreach. The organization is primarily focused on individuals/families who have come to America to establish or re-establish that sense of community for themselves. These goals can only be achieved by the continued support of our cooperating members, generous sponsors and caring friends.

May we ask for your support by becoming a member, celebrating with us and/or placing an advertisement in our 2007 launching program. The program will be distributed to all members and other related American Filipino organizations not only in California but also in other states as well.

Thank you for making our event a success!

For more information, please contact:

Alex Amer @ (951) 634-1834, Omar Ombra @ (213) 447-6254, Arbie Ala @ (818) 203-4474, Aminah Goling @ (310) 940-5777 & Miki Macasimbar @ (323) 868-0993.

The End of an Era

Perhaps because of the chaos and presence of newspaper reporters and foreign monitors in May, 2007 election, Pilandok did not notice the passing of an important era in Ranao politics.

The era of Political Ulama is now history. It’s gone the way of the dinosaurs and hopefully, it will remain politically dead until the return of Nabi-u-Allah Isah (Prophet Jesus, peace be upon him).

Alhamdulillah! That is what a practicing Muslim would say when good things happen. The word can be roughly translated to mean, “Thanks be to God”.

No one can tell as yet how much damage Political Ulama has done to Islam as a religion. But one thing is for sure: Political Ulama has ruined the role of the Islamic religious establishment as a positive contributor to the social and political development of our society. The gross, and sometimes comical, misconduct of the so-called Islamic leaders have not only lessened the relevance of the Islamic institutions but has made a mockery of the whole religion in the eyes of the public.

Thankfully, Islam is a religion with strong and uncompromising foundation based on truth, practicality and moderation. Though these characteristics have been hardly displayed by both politicians and ordinary Muslims, they are the undeniable allure of the Islamic way of life. Even with all of the bad press that Islam and Muslims are getting, it is the fastest growing religion in the world. Ironically, many of the new Muslims are from the educated population of the Western hemisphere. So while “born” Muslims are destroying the name of Islam in the East, Westerners are discovering the beauty and truth of this faith. The “war on terror”, which many people says, is a war on Islam, has made people read and find the real Islam.

I suppose this predicament could be explained by Muslims being uneducated about Islam. The mark of a society can be determined by the level of sophistication exhibited by its scholars and leaders. How can we expect ordinary Pilandok to know and practice Islam, if the Muslim leaders themselves do not seem to either know or care, nor practice Islam in their lives? The Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him, was placed first out of 100 on a list of most influential people in history of mankind. It was because he was not only a religious leader but a statesman as well. Like Spider Man said, “With great power comes great responsibility.” In Islam, to be a leader is to assume an enormous responsibility of following the examples and teachings of the Prophet. And a big chunk of that is dealing honestly with yourself and with people around you. Could it be that many of these ulama were absent the day this lesson was taught?

The rise of Political Ulama started in the late 1980s when the Marawi City mayoral race was won by an ulama. In those times of innocence, Pilandok was happy and believed in the ulama. The ulama were so different from traditional politicians with their training in Islamic jurisprudence and theology in some of the world’s best Islamic institutions; the public’s expectations were exceedingly high. People thought that the ulama would follow the examples of Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him, and rule with the uncompromising integrity like that of the Caliph Omar. Arata Wata remember half-way through that Mayor’s incumbency, there was a people power movement to save him from his legal troubles and people from all walks of life contributed money for his legal expenses.

But as years passed it became painfully obvious that the line that once separated traditional politicians from Political Ulama was vanishing into thin air. Leaving Pilandok to wonder if he had only conjured up the distinction when he realized that Political Ulama were just as corrupt and in some cases, were worse than the traditional politicians. Their ignorance of western democratic processes could have been one of culprits, not surprising having not been exposed to this concept since the countries they spent most of their adult lives obtaining Islamic education didn’t practice democracy.

The last “Caliph” could have done better because he assumed his office in a clean and honest way: the incumbent died. He did not spend tons of money to buy people’s vote when he run for his original position so he had no “investment” to recover. He could have salvaged whatever is left of Pilandok’s respect for the ulama, help restore social morality and made history for his leadership. Sadly, he lost sight on the bigger picture and became just another politician.

You can cast your fishing net in Lake Lanao and ask your Pilandok “Catch of the Day” and he will tell you what a disappointment the ulama has been. It is not difficult to understand why Pilandok has stopped listening to the ulama a long time ago. The only advice that the ulama are all very consistent and insistent with, is asking wives to let their husbands marry three more times.

In summary, the only lasting legacy of the Political Ulama is the proclamation of Marawi as the only Islamic City in the Philippines but the more appropriate title is “Slum-ic City”. Yes, it’s not an exhaggeration. The city is the dirtiest in the country. It seems like dirty politics have contaminated the physical environment as well.

So can the Political Ulama redeem themselves? Politically, I don’t think they can ever do. They have zero credibility. “Nada” is how a Mexican Amigo would say it. But I could be wrong. We are infamous for our short-term memory.

There is one area the ulama can be useful: as foreign language specialists. They can teach how to read, write and speak the Arabic language and help Pilandok understand the Holy Qur’an. And maybe, Pilandok can work as a Call Center Representative for Middle Eastern Companies.

If they can also teach Korean and Chinese languages, that would be wonderful too. Then Pilandok can fully enjoy watching all those Korean soap operas in native language and he can be prepared for the soon-to-be Chinese take-over of the world.

The ulama should now be confined to madrasas and never venture out into the Provincial Capitol, Municipal or City Hall.

Having said all of that and in fairness to the Political Ulama, we need to put the problem in perspective. A Political Ulama has dual personality: politician and ulama (a high-ranking religious scholar).

As a politician, I totally understand why he do what he does. I am cool with it. It is Pilandok who should be blamed for corrupting the system by extorting money from the politicians in exchange for his vote. In other words, Pilandok’s biggest enemy is himself. He is infected with a social disease, I call, “The Pilandok Syndrome”. This will be the topic of my next post.

During the incumbency of the Political Ulama, there really hasn’t been that much preaching about honesty in government. So perhaps, Political Ulama weren’t that hypocritical at all.

The problem is with his credential as an ulama. He is supposedly the guardian of our social morality instead, he become the worst delinquent. What he does is morally unforgivable. How can someone who supposedly knows the truth sprout the lies? That’s the reason why I talk about the ulama dilemma.

I wonder if Pilandok had the same experiences as the people of the Islamic Republic of Iran or the Taliban-ruled Afghanistan.

Arata Wata also wonders what would it be like if the MNLF, MILF and all those other LFs have won the war of secession and we had our separate independent country ruled by Political Ulama. And the Slum-ic City of Marawi became the capital of the new Bangsa Muslim Republic. A dream or nightmare?

Panabiya ako ko manga ulama a di ron ki ola ola. Aya a pantag a giya a surat ak'n na para kambibitiyaraian tano so manga awid a akal tano sa Ranao na go tano maka pangiloba sa okit a ka ompiya i ron.

MAPIA

So manga wata iyo, manga pagari tano ago manga tonganay tano in Southern California, USA have banded together and formed a non-profit organization. They named the organization MAPIA, which stands for Maranaos in America for Peace, Integration and Advancement.

There will be a formal induction of officers this Sunday, June 17, 2007 at Mark's residence in downtown Los Angeles, CA. The elected President is Alex Amer (1st on right, standing).

The picture was taken after an orderly election of officers at Arby's residence in Burbank, CA. There was no vote buying or dagdag-bawas. Canvassing of votes and confirmation of elected candidates were instantaneous. There was no election protest. It was almost like the [s]election in Maguindanao last May, 2007.

What I heard from Charlie, Arby, Susan and Maida during their visit to Northern California on Memorial Day week-end, are real good plans to help the Maranao community here and in Ranao.

Invitation is extended to all NRPs (Non-Resident Pilandok) in Northern America to join MAPIA antano makaogop sa kapaka piya a Ranao.

Click here to download MAPIA Registration Form.

Send your registration to Arata Wata.

Senior Speech

It’s been all bad news for Pilandok even before the May 14 election. So, I want to post something encouraging.

My daughter auditioned for the Senior Speech in University of California (Santa Cruz) Graduation Ceremony next month. She wrote this draft 1 hour before appearing on the search committee yesterday and luckily, she was in top 3. There’s more drama about how she got into the audition because she missed the deadline for submission of entry 1 week ago.

There will be another round of audition among the top 3 contestants next week to choose the winner who will deliver the senior speech. Let’s hope that she win so that the voice of a Maranao woman can be heard in the hall of the University of California.

Baooai is her registered name. I misspelled it (just as my dad misspelled mine) so people think it’s some exotic Hawaiian name. But it’s a very generic name for Maranao girls (kung sa gamut pa, paracetamol) and for those of you who have lived in Ranao, you know what ule means.

She speaks fluent M’ranao although she’s been NRP (Non-Resident Pilandok) more than half of her life. She is very proud of her M’ranao and Muslim heritage. She tries to pray 5x a day.

She just emailed me this draft 10 minutes ago. It’s not exactly how she said it in front of the search committee and I did not edit the text, except for the blah, blah, blah and dah, dah, dah.

By the way, she does not know that I am posting her draft and she doesn’t visit this blog because she's busy.

Like I said, I just want to post something with a happy tone and get away from Ranao politics for a moment.

SENIOR SPEAKER: BAOOAI

Assalamualaikum. This is the Arabic greeting for peace; it literally means “May Peace Be Upon You.”

I greet you all today with peace. For the students the peace of mind now that we don’t have to think about examinations and cramming for those exams- for the parents the peace of mind of not having to pay anymore fees. We have reached the finish line at last. Before I go on much further I just want to say congratulations to every single one of my fellow graduates.

Perhaps many of you are wondering why I have chosen this very peculiar greeting as my intro.

I stand before you all today as: a foreigner (More specifically, an alien for that is what it says on my US visa. When I was twelve and saw that word next to my name I was quite surprised and thought it unusual word choice. Up until then I never thought of myself as an alien. It seemed so out worldly.), as an Asian woman, and more importantly for me, a Muslim. Looking at me you would have never pegged me for a Muslim; certainly faces of Muslims on the news have not been that of short Asian girls wearing glasses speaking with a Filipino accent. That is the best part about living here in America that I have found which is the ability of people to be able to proclaim their identities without fear of being discriminated. Also another wonderful part of living in this melting pot is having the chance to meet people from all parts of the world. Just by attending this university, it’s as if I have traveled the world. From Somalia to Korea, Vietnam to Brazil, Mexico to Turkey. When we speak about diversity on campus being non-existent I have to say that I have had a much different experience all together. Meeting these students, getting to know them as people, as ambassadors of their countries has truly opened my eyes and helped me overcome many of my preconceived notions. I never thought that one day I would be attending an American university, speaking and thinking in this foreign language and learning so much. I was born and raised in the only Islamic city in a majority Catholic country of the Philippines. Growing up in what we would call here in America as a provincial city, we had limited electricity, no indoor plumbing, limited contact with the rest of the world really.

Blah, blah, blah…

We don’t now know what the future will hold for us. One thing is for certain that we should never forget where we come from. It is what makes us unique individuals.

Dah, dah, dah…

Whatever foreign land you may land in. Whatever foreign tongue you may start to speak and think in. Never forget who you are and where you come from. But also don’t let that stop you from becoming who you are.

Engage in simple acts of kindness towards fellow students.

Itutuloy...

From Bob & Joy

Hi Si Raoul ,

Of course, I'd be honored that my little "2 cents worth" of comments gets posted somewhere else. And esp to the right audience who might need this kind of enlightenment on topics that are most crucial to them.

As I said, if majority of the voting population are educated, then they will tend to make more informed decisions when they vote... and the long term effect means - squandering politicians will eventually feed away, and good leadership will prevail. But as long as the people "feed" the bad habits of the community's local governance - these politicians are similar to pests and weeds that will always stay around, and it will always be a problem like a chronic disease that will never go away.

It's quite appalling that everyone tend to blame the people's "culture". The Maranao people has the richest and most colorful culture I've known in all of Mindanao. But for along time - and until I came here to US, my perspectives on Mindanao has totally changed. I had never realized Filipinos seem to always bark at the wrong tree... not knowing that the real root cause of all these problems is not the "culture" of the people but the adverse effects of an ill-informed society and a community deprived of the Government's services and access to mainstream educational infrastructures.

'or maybe MSuans ought to launch a massive educational campaign and provide computers and Internet access to all elementary students all around Lake Lanao and other Mindanao provinces!! Ha-ha!!

I heard Bill Gates Foundation did that for South African children... but that's another story.

It's nice talking to you,
Joy
...............................

Hi Joy,

This is a nice write-up. Can I post it in my blog at http://www.aratawata.com? I am hoping that with this blog we can freely discuss our problems without intimidations from our politicians, friends and relatives.

I believe it's our false maratabat and the (national) government failure to enforce the law that causes the election failure in Lanao. I can say that in my little municipality, the people are educated enough (because of MSU). If COMELEC will strictly enforce the election law, ie. disqualify any candidate who buy votes, pad or destroy ballot boxes then the problem will lessen. Our false maratabat is to vote for a politician even if we know that he is a proven thief. Most people do it for money though.

Thanks,

...si raoul
...............................

Hello Bob, Raoul, and Richard,

I think the root cause of these problems lie much deeper than that. It is not about the culture of a people, nor it is the squandering style of the current generation of politicians nor it's the lack of good leadership in these areas.

The chronic problem lies on the low level of literacy among the majority of the population in these areas. High level of illiteracy is the root cause of all the other problems that besieged these already poor provinces. It seems the "short term" solution cannot be achieved in the current generation - but the long term cure is to "educate" the younger generation, and future leaders, on the benefits a stable local Government and why it is important to the economic progress of their community.

MSU can sponsor massive educational campaign around these small towns on different topics and subject areas that gives the people around the "Lake" a different perspective of how things should be and what could be better for their community.

In my hometown here in Virginia for example, the public schools and universities always involved the community in many socio-economic programs; they'd sponsors children's art contest, community projects for young children, conduct classroom seminar on environmental preservation awareness, etc and the subtle emphasis is all about making the right choices for the common good. Last week, my son's school had a "student council election". Middle school student's were taught the intricacies of an election by popular votes, and learned how to cast their votes, student candidates campaign around the classroom (for real!), and overall it was a fun learning experience for the young elementary students.

Maybe the MSU main can sponsor field trips for these young students, and give classroom campaign and seminars around the lake... and seriously take the lead in launching an educational revolution among the young and future leaders of Mindanao.. which is the only way anyone can think of to alleviate such problems. Otherwise, the same chronic diseases will always be the hindrance to achieving a stable government, economic progress, and long term peace in these areas.

Joy Ziegler
...............................

I always thought that our (Maranao) corrupt politicians are the problem. But I was gravely mistaken. It’s our people and our false maratabat. Pilandok is so bankrupt that he will vote for Lucifer if he give him money.

My brother-in-law ran for Municipal Mayor but he did not buy votes because we want him to run a clean government if he win. We were hoping that our Municipality will be a good model for the province. If he doesn’t give money, he doesn’t have to steal so there will be developments. It’s that simple. But the people didn’t buy it. Even our close relatives did not vote for him. The other 2 candidates did not even campaign. They just let their money (tens of millions, 5k per vote) talk for them.

I think, Lanao del Sur will be better off if we do away with elections. Just appoint a Christian Military Governor and Mayors. And maybe, in the future, allow elections one town at a time.

I am sad for my people.

...si raoul

The email that started it all...

Hi Joy,

Our MSUan Maranao brothers and sisters are quite sad as well that till now, electoral exercises in their homeland are as messy as they used to be. Seems like there's no foreseeable cure ever.
...

Bob L.

Election Watch

This summary is not available. Please click here to view the post.

Soup No. 5

How-to of Soup No. 5.

• Pass a provincial legislation to to make non-payment of Pilandok's vote a crime punishable by lifetime imprisonment for the offending candidate.
• Create a special office to oversee the peddling of votes, like the New York Stock Exchange, but with Islamic flavor.
• This new office under the Office of Muslim Affairs can be called, Lanao Islamic Vote Exchange (LIVE).
• LIVE will publish the daily voter’s “going rate” for each elective position.

Prices vary depending on voter’s blood relationship with the candidate, the amount of IRA-release for the office and day of purchase, i.e. generally expensive near election day. Insanely expensive on hotly-contested, special re-elections. Cheaper when the buying candidate is expected to withdraw to a sibling or close relative vying for the same position.

Mayor is more expensive than Governor, Governor is expensive than Congressman, and so on. This is the difficult part of the implementation. LIVE probably needs to hire Ernst & Young Consulting to conduct a 3 year study of the Ranao election and come up with a fair pricing policy.

• LIVE will administer candidate’s trust fund without interest (it’s un-Islamic to receive interest on your money).
• The Ulama "vote brokers" of LIVE will conduct Pilandok’s swearing on the Qur’an (that he will vote for the buying candidate or he goes to hell).

In these days of internet commerce, there’s no reason why we can’t do the entire transaction via the web, like using ebay or etrade.

Pilandok can log into a LIVE website, like http://www.pamasa-akong-ka.com, register and sell his vote. The money is credited directly to his registered checking account and the candidate’s trust fund is automatically debited.

Qur’an swearing can also be done on-line using finger print scanning technology and Qur'an multi-media version. LIVE has to install ATM-like kiosks to provide on-line services.

In order for this idea to really work, Pilandok should be able to sell his vote to all the candidates for the same position. Say, if there are 3 candidates for the City Mayor, Pilandok should be able to sell his vote to all 3 candidates.

This is a win-win situation. The candidate is happy that he gets to buy ALL the votes in his district and Pilandok is able to sell his vote to every candidate on the ballot box.

Watch the video. Arata Wata gotta get back to work.

Golden State Warriors

The Golden State Warriors is about to eliminate Dallas Mavericks in the first round of the 2007 NBA Western Conference Playoffs. It’s an amazing accomplishment because the Warriors had been crappy even before I moved here in Northern California and the Mavericks are the defending Western Conference Champions.

I have watched the Warriors play the LA Lakers of Kobe and Shaq in Staples Center and the New York Knicks and Sacramento Kings in Oakland Arena and the Warriors then really sucked. The only player who, I thought, was worth watching was Jason Richardson, a 2-time dunk champion. Every time he’s ahead of everybody, you can expect for an acrobatic dunk. Other than him, better save your $60 and watch them on TV.

Since the January 17 trade for Steven Jackson and Al Harrington from the Indiana Pacers, the Warriors was a different team. They became fast and athletic. They play just like the Phoenix Suns and they are fun to watch.

This year is the first time that the Warriors appeared in the NBA playoff games after 13 years of absence and California had seen the biggest-attended NBA game ever in its history last Sunday (TNT). More than 20,000 people went to the home game in Oracle Arena in Oakland. Arata Wata watched the game in a big screen TV in his crib in downtown San Jose, about 1-hour drive south of Oakland.

It’s now 3 to 1 in favor of the Warriors. One more beating of the Mavericks and the Warriors, lead by Baron Davis, will make NBA history: the first time that a No. 8-seeded team, who barely made it to the playoff, would beat a favorite, No. 1-seeded team in the best-of-seven first round format. Considering the standings of the two teams, this will be the biggest postseason upset in NBA history (San Jose Mercury News).

Arata Wata believes that we too can make history. We can turn our society around for the better because we have most of the requirements to be a great nation.

We have this Blog i Arata Wata. A “no holds barred” blog, where we can freely discuss the solutions to our problems, no political intimidations.

Seriously though, here are the facts that I believe will make Pangampong a Ranao great once again.

• Among the Muslim tribes, we are the most educated. Thanks to the Mindanao State University and to late Senator Domocao Alonto for providing us with cheap and quality education. I need some volunteers to do a survey of the educational attainment of every family in Marawi City. Please post the result of your survey in this thread and identify yourself para ka’b’gan ka sa award. Here’s the stats for my family. All 9 siblings are at least college graduate. 1 Medical Doctor, 1 Civil Engineer, 1 CPA, 1 Chemical Engineer and 1 Ph.D in CPA Review.

• Lake Lanao is a “gold mine”. If we can get an equitable share of its revenue and the operations of National Power Corporation, it can replace MSU as the main employer and financial provider for Pilandok. We can re-grow its fish population so we don’t have to import fish from the coastal areas. It can be developed for tourism. As it is, we have the biggest toilet in the world.

• Beautiful place and nice weather. Minus the snow, the Rocky Mountains on the eastern side of Denver looks like the mountains surrounding Lake Lanao. Same with the views of Lake Tahoe and Ithaca in New York State.

• Besides infrequent earth quakes, there are no other natural calamities that hits our place. We’re safe.

• Land is fertile and maybe, we have undiscovered oil deposit simply because we are Muslims. That’s God’s unique way of compensating the Muslims for their stupidity in the modern time.

• We have Maratabat, a culture of shame. It just need a little refinement so it can be used for constructive purposes, like, ip’maratabat so di kapaka comment sa giya Blog I Arata Wata and join the discussions.

• We are for the country what the Chinese is to the world. We are born merchants. We have padagang in almost all mercado and malls in the country.

• Most peaceful among the Muslim groups.

• Good politicians, kurap lang. Our 15 Sultanate Federation (Sapulo ago lima a Panoroganan sa Ranao) is so much more complex than the single-Sultan, absolute-power model of Sulu and Maguindanao.

• Our ka-kalilang is the best in the country. We can make money out of it. We need to preserve it.

• Some speak fluent Arabic. Good source for Middle East Call Centers.

• We are 99% Muslims. We have the most number of ulama compared to the other Muslim tribes. This one, I am not really sure if it’s good or bad. But it’s good that we have the most number of mosques and madrasas.

I can go on and on and on.

We can really be great once again. But we need to change our ways, especially on politics, maratabat and how we treat other people, like the Christians living among us.

We also need this young, strong and very good-looking super-hero, who will cleanse our society of evil people, just like Superman in Gotham City. E, si Batman pala iyon.

Ay sorry, nagmukha siyang Nacho Libre.

Please invite other Pilandoks to visit this site and get involve in the discussions.

Print your favorite page of this blog and post it on the entrance to your internet shop, on student bulletin boards or hand it out. Talk about the contents of ArataWata.Com with your friends.

If you are a student, get cool. Have an Arata Wata Party and talk about how you can help to change our society for the better. I may pay for your pizzas and kakolas. And don't forget to take pictures of you and your friends, send them to me. Your pictures will be posted here.

Let us all do something to improve our society. We owe it to our children and their future to fix the ills of our society today. Our fathers failed us that's why we're in this big mess. Let's not allow our children to say the same thing about us.

Hopefully, this will be the beginning of a social revolution. A peaceful revolution for change.

If you have ideas on how to solve our problems, please send them to Arata Wata so we can discuss them. At least, post your comments on the issues. You don’t have to be a good writer. I am not. Basta sabot'n bo so pamikiran ka na kapakay d'n.

The Candidates

One of the Anonys have requested that I post a discussion about who’s the right candidate to vote in the 2nd congressional district. I think, that’s a good idea but we have to be careful not to make Blog I Arata Wata a political tool of any of the candidates.

I don’t have the list of the candidates and I can not give opinions on who are the right ones to vote. Arata Wata is a NRP, Non-Resident Pilandok.

We are not choosing between good and bad politicians. Honeylove said, they are all thieves and crooks. I agree. It’s more of voting for the lesser evil really.

Antona a Ini

Assallam Wallaikhom.
Peace.

Giya na k'na oba a regular website a pamisita kaon bo, pagilay sa manga tuladan a manga tataid a babai, odi na m'batiya sa manga estorya a manga artista, mapasad na lagid o bitowan'n a pagawa-an ka bad'n.
Stay a while.

Daa a kailay ngka saya a lom'lkas a kaolit a babai odi na dimamagarka odi na di m'lob lobd odi na di kakaromai.
No pornography.

Giyaya na blog. Lagid aya o kambangka sa Banggolo. Pang p'd ka ko di m'banka na pagestorya-an ka langon a miya sowa sowa o manga siringan ka. Antona a i ini s'da iran isako gagawii, pira i minibayad kiran sa mga boto iran, ino siran di panga ooliti, blah, blah, blah... Bapiya kapamrak!
This is a blog.

Kapakay a isorat ka so estorya ngka sa bapiya antona a a basa: m'ranao, englis, tagalog, bisaya, arab, insek. Ogaid na da n'da a pakabatiya sa insek. S'kabo i di bitiyarai sa ginawangka lagid i Tomaroy ago si Alandag.
Use any language to post your comments.

Langon a estorya ago sakit a Ranao ago so kaompiya iron na pag estorya-an tano sii sa giya a blog i Arata Wata.
Welcome.

Click here for Welcome Video.

Moro ain't cool

Moro is the name given by the Spaniards to mostly dark-skin people, like the Malays and the Moors who ruled Spain for 800 years and who happen to be Muslims. It’s not purely a religious category. One Mexican brother told me that they too were called Moros by the Spaniards. There’s nothing wrong with that.

The problem is in the Philippines, the word Moro is used to derogate a Muslim. It's like the “N” word for African-Americans.

It's not uncommon to read the phrase “A good Moro is a dead Moro” in the country's leading newspaper editorials. And in public elementary schools in Christian areas, pupils play Moro-Moro. It’s about a beautiful Muslim princess rescued by a Christian prince from the savagery of the Moros.

First of all, our Muslim lawmakers, if they know why they are in the Congress, should criminalize the playing of Moro-Moro especially in public institutions because it teaches hatred. Not good for national reconciliation and integration.

Why use a stupid name that most of us hate and even our Christian friends don’t want to use because they don't want to offend us? When the media talk about Adel Tamano, do they say, “Si Adel, ‘yong Moro na spoke person ng opposition...”? And did your Christian friends ever called you Moro in your face?

Most likely, our ancestors didn’t even know that they were called Moros. The word was never mentioned in our Sarsila, Darang'n or bayok.

It’s very unfortunate that Muslim leaders of the 1960’s adopted the name Moro. The more respectable name is Muslim that’s why Malacanang created the Office of Muslim Affairs NOT Office of Moro Affairs.

Why can’t we just be called simply Muslims or Filipino Muslims, like the Bosnian Muslims?

Arata Wata does not like to be called a Moro. It ain't cool.

Exchange Rate

In this thread, we will track the "going rate" for the May, 2007 local election in Ranao. We will not mention names. We're just interested in the peso amount.

After the election and depending on the number of inputs we get, we will create a spreadsheet showing the approximate cost of the election and do financial analysis, like, what if all the political money were invested in Ranao local economy or used to buy carabaos for the local farmers.

So please post your "price". If you haven't received it yet, just let us know how much was promised. That's good enough.

This information will not be available in the National Statistics Office.

Ulama in Politics

Do you like the Ulama to run the government of Ranao? Arata Wata says, NO. Without exceptions, the Ulama politicians have failed miserably. Even the lucky ones who did not have to buy people's vote acted like the traditional politicians. Worst in some cases.

What do you think?

Christmas Light

Lake Lanao supplies most of the electric power in Mindanao. But the municipalities around the lake and the City of Marawi don't have stable power supply. Lagid kon o Christmas light so ka pata patay o solo sa Ranao. Lanao del Sur is always the first to black out before the other provinces. What an irony!

Arata Wata is wondering why this is happening. Ino manga day oto, da-ani?

Same old, same old

It's election time again in Ranao and it's "same old, same old". Politicians are buying and voters are selling to the highest bidder. For the next 3 years after the May 2007 election, elected politicians will simply pocket government money and the only thing Pilandok and Padol can do is talk about it in Banggolo over a cup of coffe and apang.

But who's to be blamed? The politicians, the voters, the central government, or the Ulama? And what can we do to stop this political circus?