Graduation brings temporary peace to Mindanao conflict area

Students hope for calmer future as military suspends offensive.

Noromabai Utto

Manila:  Noromabai Utto, 16, might have been the happiest person in the village of Tukanalipao in Mamasapano, Maguindanao province on Monday. She finished top of her class at Hadji Salik Kalaing National High School, which is located just a few kilometers from where government troops and Moro rebels clashed on January 25, killing at least 67 people.

As Noromabai delivered her graduation speech — a bittersweet tale of triumph and struggle in the middle of war — the 49 graduating students wiped tears from their faces.

Noromabai's voice reverberated in the village that has enjoyed a respite from artillery and machine-gun fire after the Philippine military declared an all-out offensive against the rebel Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters (BIFF) last month.

The army suspended military operations this week to enable schools in areas affected by the conflict to hold graduation ceremonies.

"I wish this moment happened every day," said Noromabai.

"Only recently, our dreams of lasting peace have been threatened again," said Noromabai in her graduation speech. "Once again, the flames of war were fanned, and it disrupted our peace.

"With war comes the mourning, the confusion, the grief," adding that the conflict had shattered the gains of peace in the southern Philippines, resulting in the suffering of people, especially in the villages.

Noromabai's family has survived several conflicts in recent years. In 2008, the Uttos fled their village in South Cotabato province after clashes between the military and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front erupted.

In the village of Tukanalipao, the Uttos sought shelter and hoped to live in peace.

But early on January 25, their dreams of peace were shattered by the sound of gunfire.

"They told all of us to evacuate," said Noramabai. "We had to leave despite the uncertainty," she said.

"I was scared, and I kept on thinking whether I will still be able to finish school," said Noramabai, the class valedictorian.

She said that after finishing high school she will help her family escape from poverty.

Last month, Noramabai's mother left for Saudi Arabia to work as a babysitter. Her father stays in the city doing odd jobs.

"When she told me that she had to leave, I was crushed. If only I could have done something to prevent her from leaving," the girl said in an interview.

Norombai, a working student, and her two siblings have been cared for by a relative while their parents look for whatever source of income to feed them and send them to school.

On Monday, she and nine of her classmates — all children of farmers — received some good news from the regional governor who handed the children certificates of scholarship to enable them to pursue a college education.

Governor Mujiv Hataman of the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao said the dreams of Utto and the other Moro children "are reflective of our longtime dream of peace and development".

"We agree that we should focus more on assisting our students as they pursue their dreams," the governor said, adding that these dreams can only be achieved "if we take them away from the conditions that allow them to join wars".

For Noramabai, there is no better gift for the children than peace. There is no reason to go on with the war, she said.

"Instead of supporting war, I am hoping that you support and invest in our education — that education and not fear becomes the foundation of peace in our land," the young graduate said.

As of Monday, some 91,602 people in the province of Maguindanao remained in evacuation centers. Last week, the number was 120,000.

The military on Monday terminated the all-out offensive after declaring that the BIFF has been "defeated on the battlefield".

Armed Forces chief, General Gregorio Pio Catapang, said the military has achieved its goals, including the killing of 151 BIFF fighters and wounding 65 others. The military campaign also resulted in the capture of 12.

"We have achieved our objectives," said Catapang at a press conference in Manila. "Now, [the rebels] have splintered into small groups to evade pursuing soldiers," the general said.

The military suffered 10 fatalities and more than 30 were injured.

Catapang said the military would now shift to "peace and development efforts," including the construction of bridges, roads, schools and hospitals.

The military chief appealed to various stakeholders, especially civil society organizations, to extend assistance to the affected population to allow them to go back to their normal lives.

"We would like to see Maguindanao as a highly developed area where people enjoy peace, progress and prosperity that we all want for the whole of Mindanao and the entire nation."

Source: UCAN