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AUCKLAND, New Zealand (MindaNews / 07 February) — Very few are alive today to tell their stories of that fateful day where close if not more than 20,000 died, and hundreds of thousands left homeless as estimated by the MNLF.
How did they survive the constant pounding of bullets from air, land and sea? For many the experience was so traumatic that they prefer to bury it under the rug and never to talk about it again. Many still live with the physical and mental injuries of that week, not just from witnessing true horrors of war but from having been imprisoned, tortured and subjected to dehumanizing treatment by the military.
It was through the efforts of Rear Admiral Romulo Espaldon, who sent naval ships to rescue people who had waited days and nights at the wharf with no food, water or shelter, that many were able to flee a town on fire. Espaldon, according to reports, disagreed with Marcos’ orders to bomb Jolo.
There is no doubt that the damage was done by the Philippine Military under the orders of then Philippine dictator Ferdinand Marcos, the father of the current president of the Philippines. He had installed martial rule and suspended civil liberties in 1972.
But what led the military to do such thing?
The Marcos military apart from fighting the New People’s Army in the north was challenged by the MNLF (Moro National Liberation Front) in the south. Some estimate that about 80% of its military was deployed to fight the MNLF, whose military strength was only a fraction of the Philippines’ but because of their commitment to a cause had the support of the local population.
We will not rehash what happened. The following links to articles about that horrible period will say a lot.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nur_Misuari
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Jolo_(1974)
https://www.nytimes.com/1974/02/17/archives/manila-says-jolo-deaths-in-recent-clashes-total-300.html
PEACETALK: The Jolo Siege of 1974, Half a Century Hence: Notes on History, War, Peace, Law and Justice (2) KISSA AND DAWAT: The 1974 Battle of Jolo, narratives and quest for social consciencehttps://mindanews.com/top-stories/2016/02/that-we-may-remember-february-7-1974-the-jolo-caust/
Agnes Shari Tan Aliman, a native of Jolo, collected stories from survivors of the bombing and put their horrific experiences into a book in 2023 appropriately titled The Siege of Jolo, 1974.
The Siege of Jolo, 1974Fifty-one years since the bombing, we ask Nur Misuari, who was head of the Moro MNLF at the time of the bombing, and who became governor of the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM which is now the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao– BARMM) from 1996 to 2001, if he and the MNLF have achieved their goals?
What led the Jolo MNLF Revolutionary Committee under Bandahari Jajurie to lead his forces to occupy the town of Jolo? Some say that the MNLF was under siege in the guimba and had to hide in Jolo town. But others ask if they were going to hide why did they march into town on the eve of February 7 as if they were going to claim victory? (The locals had a lot of respect and admiration for the MNLF for what they did to help them escape the military offensive by leading them out of the town and sheltering them among their supporters. Ban Jajurie was killed on or after their takeover of Jolo. Singers drafted a kissah – Kissah Kan Hadji Ban — to the tune of a native song Balelleng to honor him)
Did they overestimate their military capacity equating it with the support of the local population? Or did they underestimate what the vicious Marcos dictatorship could do?
Did the MNLF leadership approve the Jolo MNLF’s actions?
How did the national leadership of the MNLF assess this action?
No matter what the reasons were, questions remain in the town’s people’s minds. They are asking, considering the damage done to the town and its inhabitants, should Nur Misuari and the MNLF apologize for what has happened? These are the people caught in that fateful event who had hope for answers after more than a half a century. And we cannot ignore the role the MNLF played that ignited it.
How about the Philippine Government? Is it about time it does the same? The damages suffered by the people are not just material losses or loss of lives but continuing irreparable trauma. More than 80% of the people who used to live there have become refugees in other cities in the Philippines and the rest of the world. What they used to call home is no longer there for them. The 1970 Census showed 46,586 lived in the town. But by 1974, only 37,626 remained.
Why was it necessary to destroy a thriving town just to flush out a few thousand MNLF rebels?
Victims of the five-month long 2017 Marawi Siege were provided the opportunity to seek redress and compensation under the Marawi Siege Victims Compensation Act passed in 2022 under President Rodrigo Duterte. His successor, President Ferdinand Marcos, Jr., named the members of the Marawi Compensation Board which is processing 14,495 claims filed from July 2023 to July 2024. As of mid-January this year, about 1,200 claims have been approved. Processing of claims is until June 10, 2028 when the Board ceases to exist.
But why has there not been any compensation or apology from the Philippine government for the victims of the Jolo Siege?
For many there won’t be a closure and healing until redress is done. A lot of people feel an apology is never too late from both the government and the MNLF. Some though say the damage is done and no apology or compensation would ever heal their wounds.
For 30 years, from the 1980s to the early 2000s, families returned to rebuild their homes and businesses. But they were terrorized by the kidnap for ransom group, the Abu Sayyaf. After receiving threats, many left. Some were not so lucky and died in the hands of the ASG. The son of Adelaida de la Paz- Antonio, a Jolo native who returned to reopen the family pharmacy, was beheaded when she refused to pay the ransom. Kock Lay Tua, another Jolo native, and owner of Caltex Gasoline Station and Midtown Pharmacy who returned after the 1974 bombing was gunned down in November 1985 in his gasoline station when he refused to submit to the extortionists. Even those without businesses, eventually left for fear of their lives. Majority of the people from the town – Muslims, Christians, Chinese descent – now live in Zamboanga City. Others in places like Cebu, Davao, Cagayan de Oro and Manila.
Why did the MNLF shy away from destroying the ASG?
Jolo town has not recovered from that day. Fifty-one years since the bombing the town has not had any new development and does not look anything close to the Jolo of the 1950s and 1960s, which was thriving only 10 to 20 years after the Japanese occupation during WWII. It was a multicultural, multi-ethnic and multi-religious town.
What now?
We appreciate any comments from readers on what your thoughts are. Please share any memories you have of the February 7, 1974 event.
(MindaViews is the opinion section of MindaNews. Madge Kho is a native of Jolo and was active in the U.S. during the 1970s-1980s, fighting the Marcos dictatorship)
