New 'Lord' in Maguindanao

For days, the toss between Mangudadatu and the Sinsuat over leadership of Maguindanao province held the people in suspense. Prior to the May 10 elections, the people in the province believed that the results of the polls would tell if the near total control of the Ampatuan clan over the province is ended or not. To simple people, the victory of the Mangudadatu-Mastura team will, definitely, announce to all that the era of the Ampatuan is gone and a new power holder is installed in the province. Age-wise, the Mangudadatu-Mastura team exudes with youthfulness in contrast to the Sinsuat- Ampatuan tandems who are in their senior years. To many young voters, age matters. They can easily relate to young candidates and they identify with their causes. But in Maguindanao, what truly matters in local elections is the capacity of leaders — young or old — to, skilfully, navigate in ‘tumultuous’ clan politics. Maguindanao is actually composed of patches of well established ‘fiefdoms’. Clan politics and clan rule give us the real geo-politics in Maguindanao. Prior to the multiplication of municipalities, the geo-political lines were much clearer. The Mastura clan rules in the former Municipality of Nuling or Sultan Kudarat. The Sinsuat clan rules former and undivided Municipality of Dinaig. The Matalam clan rules in the undivided former Pagalungan Municipality. The Midtimbang clan rules in the former undivided Talayan. The Paglas clan rules over the undivided Datu Paglas Municipality. The Ampatuan clan rules over the undivided Datu Piang, Maganoy and Ampatuan municipalities. And the Mangudadatu clan rules over the undivided municipality of Buluan, the Iranun municipalities belong to the Tomawis-Aratuc clan, Lidasan-Macapeges clan, the Iman and Ibay Clans . Clan politics remain strong in the province. Within the small fiefdom, the clan determines the leadership. But in the province, leadership belongs to anyone who can establish the greater alliance among these ‘small’ Lords. The rise of the Mangudadatu in the neighboring province of Sultan Kudarat dominated by Christian settlers is phenomenal. The father and son tandems (Governor and Congressman) have shown the adeptness of the Mangudadatus in establishing a modus vivendi of power and wealth sharing among the various ethnic groups in the province. To the surprise of many, Sultan Kudarat province is an exemplar where the small Muslim minority is able to win the leadership in the province. The governance of the Mangudadatu clan (Pax and Suharto) in Sultan Kudarat Province is rated as good, though there are gaps for greater improvement. The Mangudadatu clan is known to be ethno-religious blind. They do not favor any group or tribe, because of ethnicity or religions. They serve their constituencies well. This is, perhaps, the reason why the majority Christian settlers (mainly Ilongos and Ilocanos) and the Indigenous Peoples have joined the Muslim minority in electing Muslim leadership in the province. In Maguindanao, the particular clan that has suffered most is the Mangudadatus. The massacre of November 23rd, 2009 has wrought havoc right at the heart of the clan. Ismael or Toto’s wife and his two sisters (eldest and youngest) are among the fallen with the women lawyers and journalist — 57 victims! Toto Mangudadatu has, no doubt, paid dearly in contesting the leadership of the province. Now Toto Mangudadatu is the new governor — the new Lord of the Province. The issue being raised is the question whether the Mangudadatu ‘lordship’ in Maguindanao will be any different from the Ampatuan. I have known the Mangudadatu and most clans in Maguindanao for years (more than four decades). The young Mangudadatu brothers, no doubt, have daring spirit and courage. They also have the capacity to lead. But above all, they take responsibility over their actions or inactions. Besides being ethno-religious blindness, another endearing characteristic of the Mangundadatu brothers is their capacity to LISTEN to their elders and constituencies. The other half of the clan rules over the neighboring province of Sultan Kudarat. Pax and Suharto are loved by their constituencies, because they listen to them. They build their roads; they attend to the barangay folks when they are sick; they build more schools and help bury the dead. This listening and ministering to their constituencies endear them most to their constituencies. The same needs but in much greater scale are felt in Maguindanao. The new lord of Maguindanao, hopefully, would not build palaces and ride in fancy vehicles amid the poverty of their constituencies. In many ways, the price Toto paid to contest the leadership of the Ampatuans and the collapse of the ‘empire’ would teach him well as he begins his rule over the province. The young Mangudadatu brothers make me hope that their rule would be different in Maguindanao. The Mangudadatu brothers, like their kin in the neighboring province, have also the capacity to be with and listen to their constituencies. For this virtue alone, I am a believer that in time, the Mangudadatu rule in Maguindanao would even surpass the accomplishments of their kin in the province of Sultan Kudarat.