The New Settlers: Mindanao Muslims Head North

Alima is 27 years old and says that when the gang learned of her age they demanded she too go to the police station — alone. Having heard of cases of hulidap victims being raped, Alima politely begged off, saying she was heavily pregnant and near labor.

Blank wall

The issue of hulidap has reached senior PNP management which maintains it is strenuously battling the problem. But senior officers complain they face an uphill struggle since most alleged victims are too scared to come forward and register an official complaint.

“We cannot work in an environment where everyone’s afraid,” says Director Geary Barias, National Capital Region Police Office (NCRPO) chief. But he says that this is not even a reason for the PNP to ignore the crime.

Instead the PNP has run surveillance and counter-intelligence operations on its own men. As a result, more than 200 police officers in Manila have so far been dismissed or charged with different offenses, including extortion.

“We are committed to discipline our people. We cannot allow undesirables in our roster,” says Barias.

The PNP has also been active in meeting with different Muslim organizations in a bid to rescue its tarnished image among Muslims. The meetings are also part of its campaign to establish rapport with communities.

Battling misconceptions

While Muslims have learned to fit in well with their fellow countrymen in Metro Manila, many still complain of discrimination. Some blame this on media, which they say are responsible for perpetuating misconceptions and bias against Muslims.

Hadja Alnahar Baby Lazo, OMA-NCR Settlement Division chief, says it is common for news reports to identify criminal suspects as Muslims. “I cannot understand why the media have to identify a suspect as a Muslim. Why is there a need to include somebody’s religion? They should just identify the name.”

“People think we Muslims are war freaks and violent,” says Abubakar Sansaluna, chief of the OMA-NCR Cultural Division.

He says misconceptions are hard to fight. But stereotypes have to be constantly challenged if there is to be any real improvement. Philippine Human Rights Reporting Project

(The author is a television news reporter of GMA Network, Inc. and a regular contributor of special reports on women, children, health, education, and the environment to the network’s news and public affairs website, GMANews.TV.)