BARIRA, Maguindanao del Norte (MindaNews / 23 March) – The residence of the late Salamat Hashim, founding chair of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) in the former Camp Abubakar (now Camp Iranun), is being eyed as a “cultural and historical heritage site,” Brig. Gen. Romulo Quemado II, commander of the 1st Marine Brigade said.
The house, abandoned during the Estrada administration’s “all-out war” in 2000, has attracted tourists and has been frequently visited by those who honor Hashim’s martyrdom, among them young Moro leaders.
“We conduct quarterly clean-ups in that area,” Quemado told journalists from across Mindanao who visited the camp Friday. “We” refers to the Armed Forces of the Philippines, MILF and local government units.
Quemado explained that the Joint Task Force on Camp Transformation is working on how to make the MILF founding chair’s house into a heritage site. The task force is also thinking of putting up a peace museum at the site of the MILF’s former training camp, Abdur Rahman Bedis Military Academy, he said.
“But we’re so careful because we want guidance from the NHCP (National Historical Commission of the Philippines), as we might do things that don’t match policy,” he said in mixed English and Filipino.
He said they are “being slowed down” especially since the decommissioning of MILF combatants and weapons has not been completed.
“We’re not experts in trying to preserve these things…The concern is there, experts, curators, and there’s a strong religious flavor into this. We might do something, even in the choice of color, that would be interpreted in a negative way. So, we really are slow about everything,” he added.
“In the meantime, we protect what is already here,” he said, referring to the area’s forests, flora and fauna.
The general himself has taken photos of birds and other wildlife in the area. He said there are even tarsiers and rarely seen species like hornbills.
“The place is not yet under tourism authorities, it’s still under the normalization phase. Let the BARMM decide, we’re just here to support,” he said.
According to the Bangsamoro Organic Law, the Bangsamoro Commission for the Preservation of Cultural Heritage has the primary responsibility of preserving the history, culture, arts, traditions and the rich cultural heritage of the Bangsamoro people and their Sultanates as well as of the non-Moro indigenous peoples of the region.
The BCPCH coordinates and works closely with national counterparts such as the NHCP, National Commission for Culture and the Arts and National Museum of the Philippines.
The camp once served as the biggest base of the Bangsamoro Islamic Armed Forces, the military arm of the MILF.
Government troops met fierce resistance before overrunning the camp during the “all-out war” waged by the Estrada administration in 2000 against the MILF, which eventually settled for autonomy.
Camp Abubakar, along with five other recognized MILF camps, is undergoing transformation as part of the normalization phase under the Comprehensive Agreement on the Bangsamoro, the peace agreement signed by government and the MILF in 2014.
Hashim’s residence is nestled in the forest adjoining the camp proper. Made of reinforced concrete but apparently unfinished, the rectangular structure sits atop a low-lying hill surrounded by indigenous trees and has become a haven of bats.
Several birds could be seen hovering above the house. (H. Marcos C. Mordeno/MindaNews)
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