A major part of adjusting to life in the Philippines is realizing, resisting and gradually coming to grips with the baffling and oftentimes frustrating series of contradictions that one encounters routinely. High-rise apartments and glitzy shopping malls abut sprawling shantytowns and squatter settlements. Lush, tropical landscapes are eroded by deforestation and pollution. A deeply warm and hospitable people are routinely prone to committing acts of violence that on occasion claim the lives of dozens.
During my recent travels around poor, conflict affected parts of the island of Mindanao in the southern Philippines, I’ve come across some painful examples of the inherent contradiction and disconnect between official rhetoric around grassroots empowerment, and the persistent marginalization of communities of Muslims and indigenous peoples (IPs) in far-flung parts of the country.
Inherent Wealth
The massive imbalance of power between rich and poor was sharply illustrated during a visit to Shariff Aguak municipality in the province of Maguindanao. The area is ruled by a powerful clan that is reputed to be responsible for a massacre of 58 civilians in a move to quash the growing political ambitions of a rival clan. On the way to the municipal center I drove past several of the clan’s grotesquely extravagant mansions, seemingly the only concrete structures in the municipality. Although the former mayor and supposed ringleader of the massacre has been arrested, his clan maintains an iron grip on the municipality. Upon arrival I paid a courtesy call to the municipal capital and was greeted by the new mayor and vice-mayor, who happen to be the wife and 17-year-old daughter of the former mayor. In an area where poverty incidence hovers around 70 percent and sustenance agriculture is the primary economic activity, the family no doubt looted government coffers to bankroll its lavish abodes.
After a brief yet awkward discussion with the mayor and her lackeys, we made the 20-minute drive to the nearby village of Tapikan, scene of some of the worst fighting between government forces and the armed forces of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF – a most unfortunate acronym for a revolutionary movement) that took place in late 2008. The village bore the brunt of the government’s assault, which included artillery and aerial bombardments in an attempt to target a nearby MILF base. Several civilians were killed and all 1,000 inhabitants were forced to flee. The people started trickling back to the village as the situation stabilized somewhat in early 2009, but were displaced again later in the year by the military operations that followed the massacre.
My group was warmly greeted by a large gathering of men, women and children from the village. The community was predominantly Muslim, and was in the unfortunate position of having to keep government troops, MILF fighters and a predatory local government at bay while trying to rebuild their lives. The group identified its most pressing problems: food, access to shelter and jobs. As the conversation drew to a close, several members of the group brought out a meal of white rice, fried river fish and instant coffee. I was prodded to eat more than my share, and I sheepishly partook. I left the village feeling overwhelmed and not a little guilty. A community that had suffered so much had shared one of its scarcest resources with me, and I offered little in return. They would do their best to mobilize and rebuild, but could expect nothing from the ruling clan and only small-scale, uncoordinated support from outside organizations.
A few days later I was on my way to Talaingod municipality in Davao del Norte province. I would be spending the day in Tibi-Tibi village, which is inhabited by one of several tribes of indigenous peoples living in the area. Twenty years ago the municipality had been plagued by a communist insurgency, as well as low-level sporadic clashes between several of the indigenous tribes. Local development efforts have been credited with bringing relative peace to the area, and I was trying to find out whether local residents would corroborate this claim.
