‘ We will rise like the Philippine flag’

COTABATO CITY: Chants of “Allahu Akbar” (Allah is Great) can be heard through sobs as the Darul Iftah (House of Opinion) led prayers on ceremony in front of the Marawi City

Nowaim Ampuan, president of the Lanao Youth Congress, as he looked of such heavy magnitude for “our [Maranao] forefathers never allowed colonizers to occupy this land.”

to the catchphrase, ‘Bangon Marawi.’

Despite our city’s fall, we will rise like

Salim Abdulgafur, 19, and Hidayah Tinganun, 21, are two of so many young men and women who were

Both are students of Mindanao State University- Main Campus in Marawi City, the capital of Lanao del Sur province in southern Mindanao.

Sakim and Hidayah could still in the afternoon of May 23.

Salim was at home with his family. shootouts occurred in the city every now and then. It was later that day when he saw men in black shirts with their faces covered, that he realized that the situation was different.

In the case of Hidayah, she was at the Marawi City Hall processing her internship papers when the siege began. When she realized it was an armed attack, she wanted to go home right away but

After negotiating with a tricycle driver who was willing to drive her home, Hidayah immediately left City Hall.

from their respective homes.

Salim’s and Hidayah’s lives were greatly affected by the siege that lasted more than 150 days. Both were displaced, and have had to depend on relief goods provided by various government agencies and non-government organizations.

Salim said he felt dismayed that his college education was disrupted by the incident, a feeling that Hidayah would end soon since they wanted to go back to school as soon as possible. And they still want to go back to school. When the “liberation” of Marawi was declared, Hidayah said the feeling was “unexplainable, but in a positive way.”