Maguindanao hosts ‘Bike for Peace’ in Mindanao

All around me is gunfire. The sharp sound of M16s releasing live rounds resonates through the air. No, I haven’t joined the Army. This shooting exercise is part of the welcoming activities the 6th Infantry Division of the Philippine Army (KAMPILAN) has rolled out for us lifestyle scribblers who were flown in for the first ever “Bike for Peace" event in Mindanao. Usually, the biking events are held in Manila. But this one aims to celebrate the government’s newly resumed talks with the Moro Islamic Liberation Front. It’s a hopeful note about the continuation of negotiations, a touch of optimism towards a definitive agreement. “Unless people come [to South Central Mindanao] they will never be able to understand that the caricature that’s been painted about the Bangsamoro people is not wholly true," says Marvic Leonen, chief negotiator for the peace panel and Dean of the UP College of Law.

Our hosts and the people who manage Camp Siongco in Awang, Datu Odin Sinsuat in Maguindanao, through the efforts of the Office of the Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process, lined up a choice set of activities for the visiting journalists. We witnessed the pomp of an Army retirement ceremony and dropped by the Mechanized Division to take a Simba Light Combat Vehicle for a spin. We dined on the local staple pastel -- two tasty cups of rice mashed into one with chicken bits sprinkled on top and wrapped in fragrant banana leaf, it’s absolutely great with beef or vegetables. It is found in most carinderias in South Central Mindanao and in every soldier’s packed meal. Firing an Armalite is the highlight of the day. Col. George Avila, commander of the 6th Army training group, sent us to the camp’s shooting range to get a taste of the infantry man’s life in the battle ground. After a handling and safety talk with the master at arms we are allowed to hold the rifle, to feel its heft and weight. Our instructors take us through three positions (sitting, prone, and standing) and bids us shoot the paper targets. I take aim, hold my breath and grip as hard as I can, as the weapon’s recoil makes it thrash in my hands. Maguindanao and North Cotabato, if you follow current events, aren’t exactly ideal tourist spots. While the MILF and the government are officially on ceasefire, this is the same province where the massacre of 57 people happened in November 2009. Election violence and unrelenting clan feuds called rido still make the hinterlands erupt in sporadic firefights, and there are police and military checkpoints every few kilometers on the roads leading out the city. Then again, this is exactly why the “Bike for Peace" and the immersion we’ve been granted are even more of a grand, hopeful gesture. “Even the business sector is watching with much interest for the outcome [of the negotiations]," says Teresita Quintos-Deles of OPAPP. “People here are exhausted. This is all part of resolving the feeling and frustration that this has been going on for so long." The hospitality of the 6TH ID finds us at the Special Forces’ riverside base in the afternoon. The waters of the Tamontaka River run to muddy, a habitat for alligators and other wildlife. Up and down the wide banks are patrol boats manned by a mix of Special Forces, Scout Rangers and Paratroopers. Various assault boats (loaded with .50cal in front and a .30cal on the tail) along with speed boats and air boats are used for pursuit operations. The air boats are perfect for gliding through the murky waters, and riding one feels like a scene straight out of CSI Miami. We use the air boats to get to the Bolkiah Mosque, a 5,000-square meter structure in Balabaran sitio, down river near where freshwater meets the sea. The mosque’s towers are crowned with elegant golden caps and the white walls shimmer in the noonday sun. The Bolkiah is expected to be the largest mosque in the country when it is completed this year. Early morning of May 29, the cyclists gathered at the Palasyo ng Masa, the city hall of Cotabato. The numbers are beyond all expectations. More than 500 local biking enthusiasts, police officers, military men, foreign monitoring teams, and members of the government’s negotiating panel are among the mixed group of participants. It is rumored that there are MILF members among the cyclists, but if they’re present they’re not standing up to be counted. From Maguindanao to North Upi in Cotabato province, the 36-kilometer distance is a good metaphor for the long-unresolved peace process. Much of the trail, although paved, is uphill. Still, the yellow-clad riders zoom by many towns and villages with spectators aplenty. “I am for peace in Mindanao" stickers and banners are displayed at each stopover. “[A definitive and lasting] peace accord may seem impossible but it is very doable," declares Leonen. While the riders encounter much difficulty along the route, the endeavor of understanding is worth the extra mile. At the finish line, the indigenous Tedurays in their colourful garb entertain the cyclists with a traditional dance and song of welcome with percussion instruments. It’s a song about one tribe united and at peace. – YA, GMA News Photos by DOMINIC CALALO