Historical Injustice Ignites Conflict in Mindanao

By Tito Natividad Fiel

Madeline Shelling of New Zealand talked Councilor Angay

ILIGAN CITY – The historical injustice has ignited conflict in Mindanao that this generation inherits, City Councilor Ariel Anghay told over the weekend in an interview with foreign researcher Madeline Shelling from New Zealand at the Boy Scout Office,  Uni-top Building here. 

Councilor Anghay said it could not be denied that the first people here in Mindanao especially in Iligan was the Indigenous people, when Islam came, some members of the tribe were converted and practiced their new faith. 

“Converted Tribe and those remained their faith felt that the land of their forefathers were grabbed and held by the people most of these Christians where having position in the

                                                                                           government”, Anghay explained.

Kag. Anghay replied the queries of foreign researcher

Because of these it is easy on the part of few Indigenous People to join the armed struggle of different groups fighting for justice, Anghay claimed. 

The people now need peace, but still under process  where in need cooperation of all walks of life for the government to success of doing a such but maintained in joining his colleague in the council opposing the inclusion of few areas in Iligan City in the Bangsa Moro Governance. 

In 2008, Iligan City was strongly protesting the Memorandum of Agreement on  Ancestral Domain between the Philippine Government and the MILF and the Supreme Court of the Philippines declared the said agreement as unconstitutional,  and fighting escalates all over the island.