The Bangsamoro Government’s Ministry of Public Order and Safety (MPOS) spearheaded the 53rd commemoration of the Jabidah Massacre through a ceremony held in Corregidor Island, Cavite City on Thursday, March 18.
MPOS gathered around 150 delegates from the sectors of indigenous people, religious, security, women, youth, and government agencies to witness the event in an effort to remember and retell what really happened to the Jabidah and explain why it is an important chapter in the Bangsamoro history.
[Related Story: Remembering Jabidah and the seeds of the struggle]
For MPOS Minister Hussein P. Muñoz, the story of Jabidah is “too priceless to be missed.” It is a shared Bangsamoro experience, he said.
“The Bangsamoro story towards self-determination is retold every time this tragic loss is remembered, being one of the factors that triggered the Moro Rebellion that eventually led to the formation of the Mindanao Independence Movement (MIM), the Bangsamoro Liberation Organization (BMLO), the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF), and lastly, the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF),” Muñoz said.
He stressed that other several massacres also claimed the lives of many Bangsamoro people.
“It fueled the anger of many to rise against the government. We can forgive for reconciliation but we will never forget the enduring agony it caused the Bangsamoro, and we will also remember the lessons of Jabidah Massacre,” he said.
With the establishment of the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region, Muñoz said that the Jabidah Massacre must be properly placed in the past – that is through “the pages of our history books that must be taught to our students.”
Youth representative Fairodz Manigil felt privileged to have been part of the activity.
“Sana ang mga leaders na nagsimula nitong (aktibidad) ay wag magsawa at patuloy na magbigay ng ganitong pagkakataon sa mga kabataan, upang lakas loob naming maibahagi sa susunod na henerasyon ang pinagdaanan ng aming mga kapwa Moro sa Jabidah,” she said.
On the other hand, indigenous group representative Archie Buaya said, “ang istorya ng Jabidah ay bahagi ng pagkukwento sa amin na isa lamang sa mga nagbigay at nag-udyok kung bakit kailangang magtayo ng isang organisasyon sa pamamagitan ng paglaban sa mapang-aliping lipunan.”
In a statement, Bangsamoro Chief Minister Ahod B. Ebrahim said it is the Bangsamoro Government’s responsibility to make sure that there will no longer be another Jabidah.
“I hope that we no longer need another similar incident to bind us together as one Bangsamoro because with what we have now – the best way to come together is by helping one another in building a bureaucracy that pays homage to our martyrs,” Ebrahim said.
Source: Bangsamoro Government (Bangsamoro Information Office)
