COTABATO CITY—Bangsamoro Government’s Commission for the Preservation of Cultural Heritage (BCPCH) forged a partnership with the Mindanao State University (MSU) System to preserve the narratives and history of the Bangsamoro thru writing on Tuesday, Oct. 18, at MSU Main Campus, Marawi City.
BCPCH Chairperson Dr. Salem Lingasa said the Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) signing marked an important undertaking not only for the Commission and the MSU System but for the entire Bangsamoro nation.
“For years, the conception of a meaningful and reflective history of our people has only been a long-sought dream of our forefathers and of the future generations to come,” he said.
“We are truly grateful to MSU System for the collaborative partnership and dedication to push forth this endeavor. MSU’s competence and thrust for excellence both in academia and research make us comfortable and ease that the writing of narratives shall be put through the heart as we are all one, all of the same flock as united Bangsamoro,” Lingasa added.
R.A. 11054 or the Bangsamoro Organic Law (BOL) states that “the BCPCH shall have the primary responsibility to write the history of the Bangsamoro people and to establish and sustain the cultural institutions, programs, and projects in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region.”
Meanwhile, BCPCH Commissioner for Lanao del Sur Robert Alonto said the event was “momentous” as it inaugurated the partnership and collaboration between MSU and BCPCH on one of the most significant undertakings in preserving the history of the Bangsamoro penned from the perspective of the Bangsamoro.
“We, in the Commission, could not help but be in a celebratory mood as we experience the long-awaited fulfillment of this mandate of great importance to the Bangsamoro Government and the Bangsamoro people and nation, as well as to many of us who were in the Moro struggle since its inception,” Alonto said.
He also stressed that writing the Bangsamoro history today has become more compelling and urgent in the face of current historical revisionism and distortionism that seek to destroy the legitimacy of the Bangsamoro struggle.
“These distorted versions of history, despite the peace agreements, would like to make people in this country and in the international community believe that we, Moros, did not and do not possess the historical, moral, and legal right to struggle for our right to self-determination,” Alonto added.
In response, MSU President Atty. Basari Mapupuno expressed his heartfelt gratitude to BCPCH for selecting MSU System from among the many institutions in Mindanao for its undertaking on the writing of the Bangsamoro history.
Also present during the MOA signing were Commissioners Elmasia Madjilon of Tawi-Tawi, Ardan Sali of Sulu, and Merfa Ampao of Basilan. (Majid Nur/BIO)
