14/09/2026
-POV from Wata na Mujahideen 🥹-
My father was a former M**F member. Isa siya sa mga nabansagang “Lucky 9” noong panahon ng Marcos regime.
My grandfather’s last wish was for my father to give up fighting in the mountains, come down from the mountain, live a peaceful life and to build a family of his own before my grandfather could finally rest.
So my father chose to leave the mountains. He set aside the principles he once fought for, the struggle for the rights of the Bangsamoro, and chose instead to build a peaceful and happy family in town.
But while he left the mountains, his heart never truly left the struggle. His heart remained with the cause they had fought for, with the people they had fought alongside, and with the place where their struggle had begun.
We grew up with things that most people would probably never consider normal, normal sa amin bumisita sa mga looban so Papang could see some of his former comrades, men who were once his companions in the mountains and who eventually became commanders of their own battalions.
Normal for us to see armed men. Normal for us to hear their conversations, their stories, and their memories. Na mapapaisip kana lang talaga, kung gaano katotoo ang mga naganap dati.
Sabi ni papang, dumating yung time na wala ng supply na nakakarating sa kanila sa bundok. Tanong ko, "So paano kayo kumakain?"
Sagot niya "Nangunguha kami ng bunga mangga sa madaanan namin. Minsan kapag kinulang pa ang bunga, kasama ako sa di na kakain, magpaparaya ako."
Ang tatay namin, hindi lang siya nakipag laban, isa syang magaling na manggagamot sa panahon niya. Kaya niyang manggamot ng sugat ng kanyang kapwa myembro. Wala naman doctor ang M**F kapag nasugatan sila, di katulad ng mga sundalo. Ang tatay ko, strategy planner nila kapag nilusob sila ng mga sundalo. Kaya ang tatay ko? Masasabi kong, di lang matapang at matalino, siya ay may angking diskarte sa kapanahunan ng kaniyang pakikipaglaban.
Pero nang mabuo at nagkaroon ng identity ang BARMM, doon din namahinga ng tuluyan ang tatay namin. Di niya na muling nakita ang mga taong nagpapatakbo sa BARMM ngayon na dating mga kasamahan at kaibigan niya.
Ang sabi pa ng pamilya "Aday si papang, da nen demun masut or melay kinambaya baya na bangsamoro. Alhamdulillah, nakwa su kahanda!"
But witnessing what happened in today’s parliamentary election left us deeply saddened. Madugo, masakit, at nakakalungkot - to see fellow Bangsamoro turn against one another, even shedding blood, all for positions promised by a system that was never supposed to be the end goal of their struggle.
After everything our elders sacrificed, you cannot help but ask "Is this really what they fought for?, Alhamdulillah at di na pala ito inabutan ng tatay namin kase for sure, isa siya sa sobrang malulungkot at masasaktan sa dami ng buhay na nagsakripisyo makamit lang natin ang kalayaang ito."
📍Dua for Peace and Unity 🤲🏻
"Ya Allah, Most Merciful and Most Compassionate,
We ask You to protect your Ummah from hatred, violence, division, and the desire for power that causes us to forget the value of human life.
Heal the hearts of the Bangsamoro. Remove anger from our hearts and replace it with compassion, patience, forgiveness, and understanding.
Ya Allah, unite us not for positions, power, or personal interests, but for the welfare of your Ummah and for the peace that our forefathers longed and sacrificed for.
Protect our communities from bloodshed. Protect the innocent. Guide those who hold authority to lead with justice, sincerity, and amanah. Give them the wisdom to remember that leadership is a responsibility before You, not a privilege for oneself.
Ya Allah, reconcile those who have been divided. Stop the cycle of violence before more families lose their loved ones. Let no political difference become greater than our bond as brothers and sisters.
May the sacrifices of those who came before us never be forgotten, and may their dreams for peace, dignity, justice, and unity not be lost in our pursuit of power.
Ya Allah, bring peace to our homeland. Bring unity to your Ummah . Guide our hearts back to You and back to one another.
Rabbana hablana min ladunka rahmatan wa hayyi’ lana min amrina rashada.
Ameen ya Rabbal ‘Alamin. "🤲🏻🕊️
📸 Photo credits to the rightful owner.
