A Filipino woman speaks to a soldier at a checkpoint in Marawi, Philippines, June 1. People started to evacuate the town after President Rodrigo Duterte imposed martial law across the entire Muslim-majority region of Mindanao. (CNS photo/Francis R. Malasig, EPA)
By Gabriella Munoz Hawaii Catholic Herald
Father Emerson De Los Reyes
Civilians in southern Philippine island of Mindanao find themselves caught between extremist Islamic militants and their own government in an armed conflict that has been going on for more than a month.
Two priests from that area who are serving in Hawaii have expressed worry and concern for the folks back home. Both have been communicating via social media with loved ones directly affected by the crisis.
Father Emerson De Los Reyes, administrator of St. Theresa Parish in Kekaha, Kauai, is from the Philippine Diocese of Tagum on the island of Mindanao. Father Santiago Agoo, administrator of Sacred Heart Parish in Waianae, is from the Prelature of Isabela in Basilan Province just south of Mindanao.
At least eight priests working in Hawaii parishes come from the Mindanao area.
The violence has hit especially close to home for Father Agoo. His friend, Father Teresito Suganob, vicar of the Prelature of Marawi, was among those taken hostage by a terrorist group.
The conflict began May 23 when ISIS-affiliated militants of the Maute group attacked civilian and government buildings in Marawi City on Mindanao. The attackers targeted St. Mary’s Cathedral, destroying sacred images and statues before burning the church and taking several hostages from the parish, according to a report by Catholic News Service.
Father Santiago Agoo
Located in northwest-central Mindanao, the second largest island in the Philippines, Marawi is the capital of the Lanao de Sur province and has a population of 200,000. Known as the Islamic City, it is one of the few areas in the Philippines where Catholics are a minority. Mindanao as a whole has a large Muslim community.
Father Agoo remains positive about the situation, writing by e-mail to the Hawaii Catholic Herald that despite “the presence of some terrorist groups like the Abu Sayyaf, the BIFF, the Maute (who were responsible for the Marawi attack), and lawless elements, Mindanao is still like a ‘paradise’” for him.
Even with the escalation of religious violence in the region, both priests said they only had positive experiences with their Muslim peers growing up in Mindanao. They both counted Muslims among their classmates, friends and colleagues who helped create an environment that appreciated and respected both faiths.
Father Agoo said that he had been invited to speak in Zamboanga City, another major city in Mindanao, for the Silsilah Program which “aims to establish an aura and a culture of peace between Muslims and Christians.”
Father De Los Reyes said that, despite the violence, “inter-religious dialogues continue to be realized in many parts of the island.”
“In Marawi, we have heard stories that Muslim residents were protecting the Christians during the siege,” he said.
Martial law
What has many Catholic, Muslim and political leaders concerned is the martial law imposed by Philippines president Rodrigo Duterte that extends not only to Marawi but to all of Mindanao.
Some fear history repeating itself. From 1972 to 1986, President Ferdinand Marcos placed the Philippines under oppressive martial law and expanded his governing powers. At that time it was the “Communists” who were the enemy.
Both priests expected the martial law crackdown that followed in the wake of the Marawi crisis. But they are optimistic that it is temporary and will have some positive effect.
Father Agoo felt that the establishment of government control seemed to “seriously address the present terrible and bloody circumstances in the area.”
Father De Los Reyes recounted witnessing “the evils of ML (martial law)” during the Marcos era. He wrote how “seminarians participated in street rallies and (were) actively involved in the watchdog groups during the presidential election in 1986.”
“That was the call of the times,” he said.
Father De Los Reyes pointed to the important difference between the past and the present as expressed by the Philippine Constitution of 1987. The constitution restricts the power of the president who can “only declare martial law in cases of invasion or rebellion when the public safety requires it. The effectivity of the declaration can only last for 60 days.”
Living under martial law may not be as bad as people fear, the priests said. Father De Los Reyes said that, from what he has learned from the news and from friends on social media, “the rest of Mindanao lives a normal life except that motorists and commuters have to bear with the check points when entering cities and towns. Friends said they feel more secure and usual life goes on.”
Father Agoo shared a message from his friend Rose Furigay, the mayor of Lamitan in Basilan where Father Agoo is from, in which she detailed the precautions taken by the city government.
“The police and military are very supportive with the city’s security plan,” she said, which includes organizing and arming more than 500 civilians into what is called the “Barangay Peace Action Team.”
She said she is “praying the lawless will spare Lamitan.”
Father Agoo has no plans to cancel his upcoming vacation to the region.
The opinions of Father Agoo and Father De Los Reyes echo the sentiments of Catholic leadership in the Philippines. The bishops in Mindanao, according to ucanews, joined their fellow Philippine bishops in emphasizing that martial law must be a temporary solution to the crisis.
What can the Catholic community in Hawaii do to help?
Father De Los Reyes advised prayer, and “trust that everything in those troubled areas will eventually become normalized.”
“And refrain from unfounded speculations,” he added.
“On the practical side,” he said, “they can send material assistance to those displaced by the conflict in Marawi. Most of them are Muslims.”
Gabriella Munoz is a Georgetown University student on vacation back home on Oahu.
