Mindanao, a breeding ground for violence - book author

MANILA, Philippines - Mindanao is often called the promised land but the opportunities that await newcomers had also made the region a breeding ground of violence, as political leaders in Manila have made the south a bastion of political patronage and a dumping ground of criminal offenders.

The mounting violence and lawlessness in the region triggered the Muslim secessionist movement and harnessed the communist insurgency in the late 1960s, according to prominent Mindanao writer Reuben Canoy in his book “The Quest for Mindanao Independence” published in 1987.

Violence again flared up last Monday when alleged supporters of a powerful political clan murdered more than 50 people, including women and journalists, in Ampatuan, Maguindanao.

The victims were accompanying Genalyn Mangudadatu, the wife of Vice Mayor Ismael Mangudadatu of Buluan, Maguindanao, who was going to file his certificate of candidacy to run for provincial governor when they were stopped by some 100 armed men and taken hostage in a remote barangay in Ampatuan town.

Canoy said that since the American colonization of the country, Mindanao’s vast territory was considered part of the spoils of politics to pay off political debts of government officials in Manila.

He said every president from Manuel Quezon to the late dictator Ferdinand Marcos used the riches of Mindanao – including virgin forests, mines, and agricultural land – to pay off political debts.

The distribution of land in Mindanao resulted in the proliferation of logging, mining, and ranch operations controlled by political leaders.

Canoy said Manila also made Mindanao a dumping ground for criminals and erring government officials. Penal colonies where established in the south where the prisoners from Manila later settled and assimilated with residents.    – With Lino dela Cruz