Elders hold ritual of healing, reconciliation in Mamasapano

KIDAPAWAN CITY -A group of tribal elders from Luzon and other parts of Mindanao recently held an indigenous ritual in Mamasapano town in Maguindanao where the bloody encounter between the commandos of the Special Action Forces (SAF) and the fighters of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) took place. Father Bert Layson, head of the Inter-Religious Dialogue of the Oblates of Mary Immaculate, said relatives of a slain SAF commando from Bontoc province sought assistance from the Friends of Peace to help them conduct a tribal rite inBarangay Tukanalipao. Relatives told Father Layson that they wanted the soul of their slain kin to ‘leave’ Barangay Tukanalipao so he could find ‘peace’. Sa ila nga tinuohan, kung dili sila mahimutang, nabilin pa ang espiritu(Based on their beliefs, if they are still restless, the spirit is still there),” said Father Layson. On Friday, the elder of an indigenous tribe from Bontoc led a ritual to ‘release’ the spirit. He was with other elders from the tribes of the Manobo-Aromanon, Teduray, and Dulangan-Manobo from South and Central Mindanao. Layson said the ritual was also about healing and reconciliation. He said the relatives of slain SAF commandos witnessed the ‘bringing together’ of peoples from different faiths and ideologies in Mamasapano. Present during the ritual were members of the Coordinating Committee on the Cessation of Hostilities (CCCH) from both the Philippine government and the MILF panels, peace advocates, and other non-government organizations. For Layson, the relatives have understood well the slain SAF commandos and the MILF fighters were just victims of circumstances when they met and exchanged fires on January 25. It was different when relatives themselves talked to people in the community and be able to appreciate its context and the history of Mindanao,” he stressed. The ritual last week was just a beginning, the priest said. On August, they also plan to gather in Mamasapano relatives of slain SAF commandos from different areas in Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao to also ‘experience’ healing and reconciliation. On January 25, more than 60 people were killed when SAF commandos trooped to Barangay Tukanalipao to get two most wanted persons, Zulkifli Marwan and Abdulbasit Usman, believed hiding in the area.Of those killed, 44 were SAF commandos.