LAMITAN CITY, Basilan Province – Nurmiya Jaalim, a thirty-five-year-old mother, took out her best burqa of black with pink flowers for a special occasion intended for her son Mudaipi Ismail.
Mudaipi, Nurmiya’s five year old son, wore his type A military attire, black shirt with camouflage pants, hat and his precious wooden gun.
“We are attending the decommissioning of toy guns of our children,” Nurmiya said in Filipino. She is a mother of two and wife of Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) combatant, Ismail Jaalim.
Mudaipi’s voluntary turn over of his toy gun earned him a small bicycle, provided by the Save the Children of War in Mindanao.
The same goes for Jovina Muctar, also a 35-year-old mother of two girls. The trio dressed for a special occasion — the girls armed with plastic and wooden guns that they exchanged for toy airplanes and cars.
These women are among the thousand wives of combatants under the 114 Base Command of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF), who decided to convince their offsprings to shun their toy guns in exchange for better and educational toys.
The Bangsamoro children in Basilan have been accustomed to start their day playing with their toy guns, mostly handmade by their fathers, an early training of appreciating weapons.
Nurmiya said her son sleeps with his toy gun, a wooden replica of an M-16 rifle.
“They see their father holding a gun. It’s the way of life here in the mountains. My husband is an MILF fighter and my son is already familiar with his father’s weapon.” Nurmiya shared.
Even Jovina sees her two daughters more attuned to playing toy guns, “because their father taught them that having a gun is a protection.”
The husbands of Jovina and Nurmiya were part of the 106 combatants that participated in the second phase of the decommissioning process held from September 2019 to March 2020.
After the signing of a peace agreement between the government and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF), the latter’s estimated 40,000 fighters are the subject of a so-called decommissioning process wherein they will transition to a life of combat to being productive civilians living in peaceful communities.
In Basilan, the process is fraught with challenges. For one, many fighters are apprehensive about the presence of other armed groups such as the Abu Sayyaf, hence cling to their guns to ensure their families’ safety.
Years of conflict and war have also ingrained among children a “gun culture.” Social development workers view this as the deeper challenge confronting the effort to bring post-conflict normalization to Basilan communities.
Doctor Arlyn Jawad Jumaoas, a private physician based in Lamitan and overall chair of the Save the Children of War in Mindanao, admitted that unending conflicts have scarred so many families in Basilan, especially in the areas where there are communities of the MILF.
“This organization started seven years ago. We started rescuing children maimed by explosions, planted perhaps by their father’s enemies. We transported kids who lost limbs,eyes, arms and even life for medical attention. It is painful to see children suffering and growing up like their fathers or their mothers,” Jumaoas said.
She cannot recall the number of children rescued, or the number of children buried, amid the cycle of violence in Basilan.
In December 2, 2016, Jumaoas was emotionally disturbed when she tried to save four critically wounded children: Hamudi, Alkudzdri, Albandal and Almudzri, ages 6, 5, 3, and 13 respectively, at Sitio Bohe Beggang, Barangay Bohe Piang in Albarka town.
Unfortunately, two died while two survived, but could no longer see and walk.
“In fact, even to this day, we receive reports of more people dying due to armed conflict than of the coronavirus disease,” Jumaoas added.
Her recent program for the children of the combatants is somewhat likened to the decommissioning process between the government and the MILF.
“I am aware that children are hooked on guns. Each child has a toy gun at home, and as a symbolic way of decommissioning, we also encourage their parents to do the same thing — a toy gun replaced by other toys or bicycles. We are happy that many combatant parents are heeding our call,” Jumaoas said.
In Sumisip in June 2016, a young boy named Tony surrendered together with his three elder brothers after living in the jungle for almost five years.
Tony, who was nine-years-old then, was already a reliable sniping expert of the Abu Sayyaf Group.
Jumaoas said Tony, along with his elder brothers, learned to wield guns at an early stage because “their family was a victim of human rights abuses in the past. They lost their parents, so they joined the bandits and at a young age took up arms.”
Suada Asnawie, wife of Hadji Dan Asnawie, commander of the 114 Base Command in Basilan, admitted that minors have embraced violence, “because it has become part of their lives. Our kids were waking up to the sounds of bombs and gunfires and the smell of burning.”
Achieving a better and seemingly equal footing between the soldiers and the MILF in Basilan is not easy.
According to Presidential Peace Adviser (OPAPP) Carlito Galvez Jr., it took thousands of lives before a peace deal was achieved.
“From 2000 to 2010, there were more than 750 dead and thousands fatally wounded. Almost the same number with civilian casualties,” Galvez said.
Prior to the signing into law the Republic Act No. 11593, the extension of Bangsamoro Transition Authority to 2025, wives of combatants were hoping that candidates for 2022 elections, particularly in Basilan, will put premium to education and women development, to go alongside with the normalization track.
Suada Asnawie, who is running as city councilor for Lamitan City, has already made some plans for legislation.
“Win or lose, we are pushing for the banning of toy guns in Basilan. It is just but toys, but the way these toy guns were ingrained in the minds of our young kids, there’s a corresponding price to it. The culture of guns will never leave the young minds. Banning these toy guns and offering them better educational toys will encourage children to be better members of society,” Asnawie said.
Jovina agrees with the idea. She longed to see her children going to school, finishing their education without fear of being harassed, killed or maimed in an explosion or caught in the crossfire.
“I hope to see my child in a good school, secured facility where I will not worry about their safety, of being fired at or hit in a cross fire. If there’s problem about health and conflict, leaders must be always present, we can easily call the for help,” Jovina said.
If Nurmiya’s voice is allowed to be heard, she would like to tell the leaders of the island Basilan that she does
not want her children growing up attached to toy guns.
“Our children must not play toy guns, they should be in school, studying. Even if its a toy gun, its not good for our children, the effects of children learning to hold a gun and having a gun, will have strong effect once they grow up.”
Wives of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) fighters are seeking more tangible, child friendly and educational projects from political candidates vying for different positions in Basilan province.
“Our children deserved better leaders, leaders who value the existence and talents of our children in making this province a better environment without violence,” Suada said.
“I grew up in this province where kids value guns more than education. My husband wants to eliminate guns and toy guns, so our children will appreciate better opportunities,” Suada added,
Jumaoas observed that Basilan has no concrete programs addressing the needs and welfare of children.
“We don’t even have a children’s park in every municipality here. The only park they have is the school playground and it lacks amenities for children. Not all the schools have good facilities. So many schools are really are struggling, they dont even have supplies like books,” Jumaoas said.
Jumaoas is a native of Santa Clara in Lamitan City and witnessed how armed conflicts affected the perspective of children towards education. She has been moving around Basilan, providing medical services, nutrition programs, trauma healing, toys for healing and school supplies.
“No, I am not running. It’s my way to give back what I have. I was like them. I lost a father here because of conflict. I am fortunate because there were opportunities for us to continue our education,” Jumaoas said.
She urges local leaders to put in their agenda, “the quality education, the healing program.”
“So many children have been traumatized, orphaned. Education where children can go to better schools, not the dilapidated ones. We believe that education is one of the important agenda for our local leaders. We have good roads, but our children also need better and safe facilities for education, health and safety.”