17/10/2017
TODAY, OCTOBER 17, 2017, His Excellency Pres. Rodrigo Roa Duterte officially pronounces the liberation of Marawi from ‘terrorist influence’. Arguably, this has been the longest, most agonizing 146 days in the history of the Bangsamoro people. Indeed, this is the moment we have all been waiting for so long. But while it is a moment of relief, it will never be a day for jubilation. Countless lives were lost, both belonging to the young and the old. It does not even matter to whom these lost lives were lost. Death is death and it will always be tragic.
At this point, we commend the good people of Lanao del Sur for braving the unimaginable. Together, we have lived in dignity despite the indescribable life of being ‘bakwits’.
War did not stop us from seeking education, be it at Mindanao State University or in satellite campuses in nearby areas such as Iligan City. One cannot help but be amazed by the sight of classes in MSU amidst bombardment and the stray bullets. Also, the merchants in us found their temporary niche in Saguiaran, Balo-i, Iligan City, and Cagayan de Oro City just as clinics and offices likewise did. We intended not only to survive. We went on actually LIVING in the truest sense of the word.
Indeed, the spirit of ‘Maratabat’ has never been perfectly displayed as it was in the past couple of months.
Let us realize, however, that our beloved Islamic City of Marawi will never be as it was before.
We have lost her…. But surely not for naught.
Every ending marks a new beginning is what they say. True. While we love Marawi and the comfort of what it has always been, we need to likewise recognize that lethargy will never be compatible with progress. And lethargic is what we were. Fixated in all things material, we unknowingly forgot our values and with it, our faith has wavered. Islam dwindled to mindless rites and ceremonies. Set in the old ways, we have let Marawi deteriorate until it became the ruins and rubbles that it is today.
Yet ALLAH (swt) in all His Compassion and Mercy has given us the chance to wake up from this deep slumber. Divested of all its political and ideological color, this crisis－as hurtful as it is－is meant to remind us of the very words of ALLAH (swt), thus:
“Indeed, Allah will not change the condition of a people until they change what is in themselves.” (Al-Qur’an; 13:11)
But change is impossible without shedding the old ways.
With the news of the liberation of our beloved City, this humble public servant strongly urge the good Bangsamoro people to first stand in fervent prayers for the recovery of our City and along with it, our hearts and morale. Let us continue to fight our way to the bright future which our children so deserve. What is left to us now is practically next to nothing. We are all empty-handed. Yet we shall remain strong and resilient. Remember, to no war did the Maranaw people surrender. Never were we conquered. Not by the colonialists. Not by invaders. We surrender to no one but to Him Who is the Lord of the Aalameen, the Most Merciful, the Most Beneficent.
I humbly urge everyone to contemplate deeply. It is time that we let go of the old Marawi, the old us. It will still be a very long way to go before the complete rehabilitation of Marawi. But hand and hand, let us all persevere through all the challenges as we have done these past few months.So that like the mythical phoenix, a progressive new Marawi City－truly Islamic in all aspects－will be born from the ashes of its complacent yesteryears.
