Marawi and Lanao del Norte
The province of Lanao del Sur includes Marawi City and the towns of Picong (formerly Sultan Gumander), Malabang, Madalum, Kapatagan, Marogong, Calanogas, Tugaya, Mulondo, Lumba-Bayabao, Sultan Dumalondong, Butig, and Marantao.
The community narrative on Lanao del Sur was constructed by a former resident:
I was born and raised in Lanao del Sur, but now I live in Cagayan de Oro City. I come from a poor community of fisher folk along Lake Lanao. Some are farmers, while others are government workers. (There were) two incidents: (when) Estrada declared his all out war policy in 2000, (violence broke out) right in the home district of my mom and dad – the second district of Lanao del Sur; and then the Lapayan-Kauswagan attack in 2003 Although this last one was in Lanao del Norte, but some of my nephews and cousins… nearest of kin… They live in that area and they ran to us in Lanao del Sur. I feel like I experienced their trauma to the second degree. It was rumored during the 2000 all out war that from (Camp) Abubakr, the AFP might go to the second district (of Lanao del Sur) because there is an MILF camp there—the famous Camp Bilal. During the Lapayan-Kauswagan attack, the people had no idea that it would happen because that day was the end of the Ramadan and people were gathering to pray. It was Eid’l Fitr. Nobody knew that that attack would happen.
Given the difficulties, we coped… family support. The Maranaos have maratabat, which in Bisaya translates to something like pride. We would be shamed if our relatives had to stay in the evacuation centers, so even if we are poor, we cannot afford to see our relatives at the evacuation center. So we pick them up. We fetch them and they stay in the house. I remember this one time that our house—and even in our kitchen—it was full of people sleeping. This was in Marawi, our main house. There was violence in the mountains. Our relatives from up there descended on us.
Government units and nongovernment organizations distributed relief goods. How did we cope? Some nongovernment organizations conducted (activities for) spiritual healing. I’d like to believe that this is the kind of psychological healing that we need because it is spiritual healing. You know, we gather the evacuees and then someone…a person…stands there and gives a lecture of this and that.
And then, of course, there were interventions from non-government organizations. The European Union was most helpful during the 2000 war. Through the VSO, houses and mosques were rebuilt- like, they rebuilt the whole community.
In 2000, during the Estrada all out war, the community residents transferred to houses outside of the (conflict-)affected areas. They moved in with relatives. The evacuees first trooped to Iligan. In fact, Iligan was the first to give them help. We went to Iligan to get our relatives and then we brought them to Marawi City. Foster families had limited capacity to provide help because they are also struggling to survive.
Should something like this happen again, what would be the response of the community? Maybe… (the people would be) a bit more conscious of any possible encounter or attack (by) armed groups. Other than that, I don’t think they are prepared. Nobody gave them motorboats. They don’t have guns. So it’s just this consciousness that if ever the communities would be attacked anew, they will have to flee yet again.