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First Posted on Inside Mindanao (www.insidemindanao.com) on March 1, 2009
From distress to hope
By Baikong Mamid
Life between displacements and atrocities is a life of narrowing light of hope.
This is how Fatima, 40 years old, widow, mother of eight, described her situation.
Women Evacuess
Location:Datu Piang, Maguindanao
Photo by Baikong Mamid
Fatima's children were born and raised in Manila, miles away from her origin in Aleosan, North Cotabato.
Last September 2008 the family decided to go back to Fatima's roots and start another chapter of their lives.
Fatima was excited to introduce to her children how beautiful Mindanao is. The excitement became a nightmare. A month of hope and liberty did not last long.
The peace talks between the leadership of the Philippine government and Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF), with the facilitation of the Malaysian government, wavered. Controlled hostilities and tensions were felt on the ground between the armed forces of the government of the Philippines and the MILF.
Majority of the watchdogs of peace were wary to the direction of the talks. Moreover, civilians prepared themselves to any relevant movements on the ground. Fatima's family also prepared themselves.
When the peace panels were about to hold another round of talks to sign the Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) on Ancestral Domain, the Supreme Court of the Philippines released a ruling that the said MOA is "unconstitutional" followed by the government representatives' statements that they would not sign the document or similar document.
The break down of talks made a resounding impact on the ground which led to the displacement of about 300,000 civilians, and undocumented number of human rights violations since August 2008 such as tortures, abductions, crossfires, and shootings of innocent civilians.
Fatima and her family had to leave their new home in Aleosan, North Cotabato. They found safety in the neighboring municipality, Datu Piang. Her family was displaced not once, but twice until they finally settled at Datu Piang evacuation center. Her family fleed to Pikit town during the first wave of conflict in her hometown, Aleosan.
Sadly, Fatima's husband did not make it to Datu Piang. He was caught in a crossfire.
As the military intensified their offensive attacks to the rebels in some villages in Pikit, Fatima had to carry alone the huge responsibility of protecting her children during the times of crisis.
"I lost my husband, and I have to make a big decision for the betterment of my children," Fatima said.
"I asked my relatives to adopt my two young children. I could not protect eight of them in the midst of this crisis. It is very difficult for me as a mother, but I am also thinking about their future. That decision is for their own future in order for them to live in a better surrounding to grow with," said added.
Six of Fatima's children are with her at the evacuation center in Datu Piang. Her children stopped attending classes.
Children at the Evacuation Center
Location:Datu Piang, Maguindanao
Photo by Baikong Mamid
Amidst all these, Fatima does volunteer work to agencies for the sake of the people staying at the evacuation centers.
"She seems to have no worries. She laughs, she jests, and she helps," admitted by Guiamalia, an evacuee who stays at a nearby tent.
Fatima is just one of the many widows of war in Mindanao. But despite the suffering, her faith is stronger more than she knows. She said, "Now, I am stronger because of Allah. I am stronger because of those trials. He gave me faith to trust again and become the person I am. Allah helped me to see and accept the realities. I realized that dwelling on it will not be helpful for my children. I have to give them hope. I have to teach them that life is short and we are here to become our best."
"We all aspire here, that one day, us and our children will wake up with peace and justice. We hope that the government and the MILF peace panels will resume and solve the problem in Mindanao so that we can start our life anew," she added.
Life has been bittersweet for Fatima's family and the rest of the 300,000 internally displaced persons (IDPs), but they are still hopeful that their haven of hope will not end as a ruined memory but a bright and just future for all.
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