BARMM’s Day of Shuhada

“My confusion was compounded by a social media post that said 18 March was the 56th Founding Anniversary of the Moro National Liberation Front.

“What about the significant day of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front, the MNLFReformist Group, and splinter groups like the Lam-Alif of Lanao?

Forgive my ignorance. Last Monday, 18 March, was declared a non-working holiday in the BARMM, and I didn’t know its significance. I tried to ask friends who might be in the know, but I got more confused. I went to Safari on the internet for help, but there was not much there. The information deficit on the importance of the day stirred up questions.

The list of holidays declared by BARMM includes a Day of Shuhada or Martyrs. But that engendered more questions. Who were the martyrs? How were they hailed as martyrs? What are the criteria laid down by Islam to qualify as a martyr with the corresponding rewards? Did they die in battle in jihad for Islam?

My confusion was compounded by a social media post that said 18 March was the 56th Founding Anniversary of the Moro National Liberation Front. Did we celebrate its founding? What about the significant day of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front, the MNLF-Reformist Group, and splinter groups like the Lam-Alif of Lanao? Are they not worthy of celebrating?

But I was more bewildered when lawyer Haroun bin Omar, in our chat group, replied to the post-query of Executive Judge Bae Wenida Balt Papandayan, who was initially perplexed also about the significance of the day. He clarified that 18 March 1968 was the day of the alleged massacre of Muslim army recruits (the figures differ from 20 to 60 Muslims from Sulu and Tawi-Tawi) in the now famous (infamous) Jabidah Massacre.

I thought that solved my conundrum. But I recall that the national government denied the alleged massacre of Muslims on Corregidor Island. In fact, if not for the personal testimony of the lone survivor, Jibin Arula, who swam from Corregidor to Cavite, the government’s version of a mutiny that led to a firefight was gaining more traction.

There was a dichotomy — Muslims claimed a massacre, while the government claimed a mutinous firefight. In fact, I remember watching in Congress — which was then at the Legislative Building (now the National Museum) — where one pro-administration Muslim congressman, in a privileged speech, presented alleged Muslim recruits who were in the gallery to deny a massacre. It was the headline story of the week.

The solons’ positions followed political party lines. Those with the administration asserted it was a hoax, but the political opposition had a field day haranguing the administration of then-President Marcos Sr. It sparked demonstrations by Muslim students. The barrage of disinformation and the arsenal of public relations of the government at the time were no match for the personal account of survivor Arula.

It was the turning point of the

merdeka (freedom) movement in Morolandia.

And so, what did we celebrate last Monday?

The massacre of

Muslim recruits on Corregidor or the Founding

Day of the

MNLF? Perhaps we can refer to the transcript of the deliberations when the bill was enacted.

Which brings us to a post on social media of lawyer Paisalin Tago, Minister of Transportation and Communication, where he claimed having co-authored a bill in the defunct Regional Legislative Assembly declaring 18 March as Bangsamoro Freedom or Liberation Day, before it metamorphosed into Shuhada (Martyrs) Day. He also credited the principal author, Assemblywoman Zenaida Bubong, who is now deceased.

Perhaps we can say that what was commemorated was the martyrdom not only of the Jabidah massacre victims but of all

mujahideens, MNLF or otherwise, who sacrificed their dear lives so that the Moros of today and tomorrow can finally have their proper “place in the sun.”

This narrative has no intention of tainting the Moro account’s veracity of what happened on Corregidor on that fateful day, nor much less denigrating the significance of MNLF Founding Day. It is to volunteer information that is not known to many.

As Executive Judge Papandayan suggested, a fact sheet about the bill should educate today’s and future generations about its significance.

The trajectory of Moro history might have been otherwise if the 18 March Jabidah massacre and the MNLF rebellion had not happened.