Evacuees return to homes destroyed in Zamboanga conflict

ZAMBOANGA CITY - The excitement of hundreds of Muslim natives, longing to go back and see their homes, turned sour after personally seeing all that was left of their native stilt houses in the coastal village of Mariki, one of the barangays directly affected in the recent siege between the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) and government troops.

The residents of Mariki and Rio Hondo were the last batch of thousands of evacuees who were allowed to see their places by the Crisis Management Committee (CMC) after one and half months from being confined at the evacuation center. 

“Makaulong in lugal kamu (We pity our place),” said 67-year old mother of seven Ulong Pulalon after seeing what were left from their dwellings of hundreds of stilt houses were mere charred poles standing. 

Pulalon has been a resident of the place which was then a location project of the Southern Philippines Development Authority (SPDA) established through Presidential Proclamation 472.

However, following the exodus of people escaping at the height of the rebellion in the 70’s led by the MNLF from the neighboring province of Sulu, Basilan and Tawi-Tawi the area became village. 

Most of the residents of Mariki are the Badjao (sea dwellers) and Samal (divers) tribes and Tausugs. 

Pulalon said they have not experienced a similar conflict since the 70’s until the September siege that drove them out.

“It was painful to see what were left from our simple and calm dwellings,” she said in Tausug dialect.

Despite the ruins, residents were happy that they were able to return to the place now accessible only through a foot bridge.

“In kabayaan namu makabalik kami (What we only want now is to return)," said Salha Ordoñez citing the difficulty of staying in the cramped evacuation center.

Ladja Asaali, 78, a vendor and neighbor of Ordoñez, immediately placed strings on the poles which he believed bordered his former stilt house. 

“Bukon ako mabaya ha relocation, basta makabalik ok na haja (I don’t agree to be relocated far, it’s okay to be back here),” said Asaali. 

The CMC have already conducted tagging on the residents of the area to determine those who are really home owners of the devastated place while workshops will be conducted among the affected house owners as part of the resettlement plan of the government.