WOMEN OF MINDANAO- GUARDIANS OF PEACE (1ST OF 2 Parts)

I recently attended the book launch of Joey Concepcion’s 55 inspiring stories of Women Entrepreneurs. I am very honored to be included in that book and I hope that our stories will motivate women to go into their own business. This is very timely because March is International Women’s Month.

It’s always great to see that women now are taking charge of their lives and successes. The saying “Behind every man’s success there is a woman” had now evolved to “Behind every success there is the woman”.

Mindanao women are active initiators and movers of peace and development in the island. Even as mothers who have to balance work and maintaining a harmonious family amidst an environment of sporadic conflict; these women have made their dent in Philippine history whether as politicians, pioneers, business persons or peace negotiators.

The Mindanao Commission on Women is composed of formidable and strong women exemplified by Chair Irene “Inday” Santiago, Co Chair, Margie Moran Floirendo and Comm. Patricia Sarenas . These women had consistently rallied for sustainable peace and had proven that women, most often, are better implementors and negotiators than men. They spearheaded movements on the ground such as the Peace Circles in barangays where each circle is composed of 12-25 women. These peace circles will provide avenues for sharing talents, blessings and works so that our communities may be places of healing and peace. Inday and the other Women Commissioners also initiated the LIGHT A CEASEFIRE CAMPAIGN and RETURN TO THE NEGOTIATING TABLE. Working together to guard our peace are other women groups such as the uslim Women Peace Advocates, indanao Young Women Leaders Forum and the Political Caucus of Women Leaders in Mindanao.
There is the first lady Mindanawan senator Santanina “Nina” Rasul, 75, who dreamt that Sulu would one day rise above the ashes left by the “burning of Jolo” in 1968, when military and the newly formed MNLF clashed. She surrounded herself in the world of ideas and books of her superintendent father to escape the bitter bangs of bullets around her. Many of the Tausugs had stopped schooling. But Rasul wanted learning for everyone so she taught the older people to write and read, later founding the Magbasa Kita (Let us Read) Foundation. In 1987, Cory Aquino urged her to run for Senator. As a politician, Rasul pushed for historic laws such as the Women in Nation-Building Act and women being allowed enrolment at the Philippine Military Academy (PMA).
One of the country’s Ten Outstanding Women in the Nation’s Service (TOWNS), Nurhaylah “Emily” Marohombsar, 70, who rose above the ranks of the largest island campus in the country , the Mindanao State University, to become its first lady president. Under her stint, Emily promoted MSU as a global university grounded on multi-culturalism. She then served her country by being the lone lady peace panel member in the GRP-MILF Peace Talks for government and the Constitutional Commission, created by government to study charter change.
Daughter of Senator Alauya Alonto and married to a pioneering revolutionary, Rashid Lucman of the Bangsamoro Liberation Organization (BMLO), the fiery Princess Tarhata Alonto-Lucman, now in her 80s, of Lanao is the first lady governor in Mindanao during the traumatic martial law period.
Amina Rasul, now in her 50s, was the first Chair of the National Youth Commission (NYC) in the 80s. Under her leadership, the NYC grew as an institution from a small agency with a budget pf P18 million to a highly regarded national policy oriented body with a budget of P140 million. After serving government, she is busily advancing a global view of Islam by promoting its democratic ideals, reaping recognition by being awarded MUSLIM DEMOCRAT OF THE YEAR by a Washington-based think-tank. She is editor of the Moro Times, the lone national news supplement on Muslims.
Civil society advocate Yasmin Busran-Lao, in her 40s, seeks gender justice for Muslim women by founding the lone institutional Muslim women NGO in the country, the Al-Mujadillah Development Foundation (AMDF) in Marawi City. For her work in uplifting the plight of the marginalized, she was recognized by the US Government by conferring on her the Ninoy Aquino Public Service Award.
These Mindanao Women are indeed a WOnderful MANifestation of God’s creation.

(Joji Ilagan Bian is a strong and respected advocate for the development of the region. She is Chair of Joji Ilagan Foundation ( www.jojiilagancareercenter.com) ; President , Phil. Call Centers Alliance and Mindanao Tech Voc Schools Association; Mindanao Rep, Export Development Council. Email comments jojibian2@yahoo.com)