ZAMBOANGA CITY, Philippines

Thousands of residents of a predominantly Christian city in the Philippines’ majority Muslim south will commemorate the one-year anniversary of a siege that left some 300 people dead by marching for peace next week. 

Across Zamboanga City, witnesses of last year’s attack and relatives of victims will participate in a variety of activities such as a blood donation event in Santa Catalina village, an art show, and a wreath-laying ceremony in honor of the policemen, soldiers and civilians who died at the height of the siege. 

The crisis erupted September 9 last year when a faction of the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) Muslim rebel group attempted to raise the flag of the self-proclaimed Bangsamoro Republic at City Hall after declaring independence on August 12.
The standoff between MNLF rebels – under the leadership of Nur Misuari - degenerated into urban warfare, bringing parts of the city under a standstill for days.

While the siege left some 300 people dead and over 100,000 displaced, nearly 10,000 homes were burnt with the damage estimated at over $4.5 million (P200 million).

At a commemorative ceremony at the Plaza del Pilar next week, three influential leaders from the Muslim and Christian faiths are scheduled to give messages of peace, after which Zamboanga City Archbishop Romulo dela Cruz will officiate a Catholic mass at the historic Fort Pilar Shrine.

Event organizers said Muslim residents are also set to conduct activities in local evacuation centers and perform prayers at mosques on the evening of September 9.

Churches throughout the city will mark the day with the simultaneous ringing of their bells. Mayor Beng Climaco-Salazar said, "I would look at it [September] as a challenging month, another year to thank the Lord for a life and addition of serving the public."

She announced that Zamboanga City’s government will be turning permanent housing over to beneficiaries in Barangay (village) Paniran, while a groundbreaking ceremony will be held for the housing units built in Barangay Mariki. According to the mayor, local reporters will examine the temporary and permanent shelters to evaluate the government’s rehabilitation program of the government.

As the anniversary approaches, army and police reinforcements have been arriving in Zamboanga City to repel any movements by MNLF forces loyal to Misuari, who is wanted on charges of rebellion and human rights violations for allegedly ordering the siege in protest of a peace deal between breakaway group the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) and the government.

Misuari claimed the new deal - signed March 27, named the Comprehensive Agreement on the Bangsamoro - is a betrayal of a 1996 agreement between the government and MNLF, has left his organization shortchanged, and granted Muslims in the region lesser autonomy.

By Hader Glang

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