The Trail to Masiag from Bagumbayan (Sultan Kudarat)...profile of the Filipinos' endeavor to survive
Posted on Sunday, 9 October 2016
The Trail to Masiag from Bagumbayan (Sultan
Kudarat)
…profile of the Filipinos’ endeavor to
survive
By Apolinario Villalobos
(PHOTOS BY RENE AQUINO, Administrative
staff - Masiag Annex/BNHS)
The winding and muddy ribbon of trail shown
in the accompanying photos leads to the Masiag Annex of the Bagumbayan National
High School. Bagumbayan is a young municipality of Sultan Kudarat province. It
is peopled by those from the older towns of Isulan, Esperanza, and Tacurong,
with some purportedly, to be current migrants from the Visayas. During the
middle of ‘70s, Bagumbayan figured as one of the most affected areas in
Cotabato, caught in the midst of altercation between the Islamic “Black Shirts”
and Christian “Ilaga”. And, Masiag then, was dotted by huts of farmers which
were distributed kilometers away from each other. At the height of evacuation,
Bagumabayan was listed as among the origins of both displaced Christian and
Muslim families, aside from Esperanza, Lambayong, Tinumiges, Udtong, Katiko, Buluan,
Datu Paglas, and unknown sitios beside the Ligwasan Marsh.
When Claudio Estante opened the Department
of Social Welfare office in Tacurong to cover the Sultan Kudarat province, the
primary purpose was to serve the evacuees, I was the lone staff initially hired
and the branch was under Region XI based in Davao City, with Agrinelda Miclat
at its helm as Director, but today, due to expansion program of the agency, the
branch is under Region XII. As we were overwhelmed by the burden of statistics
gathering and relief distribution, additional personnel were hired from Notre
Dame, and which included, Ruel Lucentales, Renato Hingco, Dominador Lictawa, Mildred
Palabrica-Balili and a little later, Felizardo Lazado. Teddy Lapuz volunteered
his services for the organization of displaced youth. Soon afterwards, full
time Social Workers were sent by the Regional Office to augment the workforce
of the Welfare Aides and the lone Youth Welfare volunteer.
The trails today are not what we used
before when we visited Bagumbayan, as they were more of ruts impressed by wheels
of carts and sleds drawn by carabao or water buffalo. Relief distribution was
concentrated at Esperanza, but occasionally, on “clear” days, distribution
effort was extended up to Bagumbayan to reach out to those who refuse to leave
their farm. From where we were posted with military escorts, intermittent
exchange of volleys of shots could be heard. Several times, Esperanza and
Bagumbayan were cordoned off which practically deferred the travel of buses and
private vehicle to Cotabato City for days. DSW was closely in touch with the 12th
Infantry Battalion of the Philippine Army at Isulan for updated news on the
situation of the towns surrounding Tacurong. There were days that we would
encounter jeepneys loaded with casualties and wounded. The two hospitals in
Tacurong – Tamondong and Eugenio were always full as they admitted both
Christian and Muslim patients.
Today, with relative peace that envelops
the province of Sultan Kudarat, the local government is exerting much effort in
reaching out to those who have gone beyond the last frontier, particularly, toward
the slopes of Mt. Dagoma which is profusely covered with forest of hard wood
that draw illegal loggers. An aging former lawmaker even admitted on TV that he
had been holding on to his logging concessions in that area for a long time in
a desperate effort to explain his tremendous wealth, perhaps to convince the
people that he did not dip his fingers into the coffers of the government as
did some of his colleagues who were involved in “pork barrel” scams.
Teachers and office staff of the Masiag
Annex are from the Main Bagumbayan National High School. They practically trek
their way to their assigned post, rain or shine. Those with single-engine motor
bikes are fortunate, though. These altruistic teachers do not hesitate to
sacrifice part of their measly wage to buy instruction materials needed to be
effective in their vocation. Situations such as shown in photos have
necessitated the use of “habal-habal”, motorcycles used as some sort of a
commuter service for an affordable fee.
For the resourceful Filipinos in Mindanao,
what has been kindled by an endeavor for survival has definitely laid down the
foundation for progress…as Mindanao is full of such opportunities. Meanwhile,
the Bagumbayanons and Masiagnons are patiently treading along
the trail towards the fulfillment of one!
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