Mamasapano valedictorian seeks peace through education

Fritzie Rodriguez

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Mamasapano valedictorian seeks peace through education
The Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao has the highest number of out-of-school youth across the country as of 2010. A 17-year-old student wants to help change this status

MANILA, Philippines — “Nilabanan ko ang takot na aking nadarama (I fought the fear I’m feeling),” said Norombai Utto, a 17-year old girl from Mamasapano, Maguindanao.

This was how she graduated on top of her class.

“Kumbaga, nagkaroon ako ng pag-asa na balang araw magkakaroon ng pag-asa sa aming komyunidad. (I hoped that someday there will be hope within our community),” Utto shared on Tuesday, July 14, during Rappler’s #HearMindanao forum.

The young woman first brought tears to the eyes of many netizens in March 2015, after delivering a powerful valedictory address. Her speech made rounds online, exposing Filipinos to the harsh realities of young people caught between wars.

Utto is currently an incoming freshman at the Mindanao State University, where she plans on majoring in education.

Unfortunately, not all girls and boys could study like Utto. 

Out of school youth

As of 2010, the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) had the highest number of out-of-school youth across all regions, the Philippine Statistics Authority reported. Around 24% — or 1.7 million — of ARMM’s youth aged 6 to 24 were no longer studying.

This scenario has remained virtually unchanged for nearly a decade.

Out-of-school children and youth in ARMM
(Source: Philippines Statistics Authority)
2002 2010
23.1% 24%

All children, Utto said, would love to stay in school. Such love, however, may not always stand a chance against wars and poverty.

Some of her friends traded classrooms for rice fields or the streets. They would work as farmers, habal-habal and tricycle drivers, or housekeepers in other towns or regions. “Anywhere but here,” some would whisper.

Many children are also unable to return to school after fleeing their hometowns ever so often due to armed conflict, or because their parents could no longer support them. (READ: FULL TEXT: Mamasapano valedictorian’s speech at #HearMindanao)

“Hindi na bago sa pandinig natin ang giyera sa Mindanao, subalit marahil po ay marami sa inyo ang hindi nakakaunawa sa tunay na epekto ng kaguluhang ito sa aming mga buhay. Ang mga mamamayan ay hindi natatahimik,” Utto stressed. “Ang ang aming kabuhayan ay nasasalanta. Marami po sa amin ang hindi nakakapagtapos ng pag-aaral sanhi ng kahirapan na pinalala ng kaguluhan.”

(Hearing wars in Mindanao is nothing new, but perhaps many of you don’t understand the real effects of conflict in our lives. Citizens are not at peace. Our livelihoods are destroyed. Many of us cannot finishing schooling because of poverty that’s worsened by conflict.)

Fatima Sandigan, a 29-year old single mother, echoed Utto’s worries. Sandigan lost her husband, a Moro Islamic Liberation Font (MILF) member, to the Mamasapano clash in January. 

Changing mindsets 

Barely an adult, Utto already went through a lot. She lived through days with gunshots ringing in her head, and slept through nights disrupted by images of children weeping and running in search of their parents.

 “I grew up in this situation. Will our lives be like this until we’re older? Will it always be like this?” she asked her Manila audience. 

Utto is not alone.

Around 30,000 to 50,000 Filipino children are displaced by armed conflict every year, the Council for the Welfare of Children estimated in 2012.

Some of these children are affected by armed conflict, while others are directly involved. All of them, advocates say, are victims. 

Among these children was Mobarak Hadji Yahya, an MILF fighter who grew up with a “rebel father.” During the forum, Yayha said that if only more Filipinos knew about the hardships that families in Lanao del Norte experience, more of them would probably support the BBL. 

Among the many steps the Philippines could take in resolving such issues, Utto urges the public to start by simply changing their mindsets about ARMM’s youth.

“I want views on social media to change. Avoide hurtful words thrown at Mindanao communities. People should put themselves in our shoes.”

Sadly, some Filipinos continue to carry an “us versus them” perspective. The media, advocates say, also sometimes help spread such misinformation by attaching Moros to images of either violence or helplessness.

Utto encourages her fellow young Filipinos to speak up against stereotypes both online and offline to change mindsets against Mindanao. – Rappler.com

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