Ampatuan underscores importance of the past at a book launch

Cotabato City – Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) Governor Datu Zaldy Uy Ampatuan urged fellow Moros to draw lessons from the past in confronting the challenges of today as he graced the book launching of “Cultural Jewels – Moro Traditional and Political Leaders, A Compilation” Tuesday in this city.

The book was commissioned by Ampatuan in 2006 through Executive Order 187, which called for the creation a technical working group to conduct a research and compilation of the history of Moro leaders.

He said that it is a fitting tribute to the role played by these great men and women in upholding the culture and heritage of the Moro people.

“I believe that it is the duty of present Moro leaders to preserve the history of the Moros for posterity,” he added.

Cultural Jewels highlights the stories and achievements of great Moro leaders. The technical working group who has worked behind it was headed by Haron Felmin, Assistant Secretary of the Department of Tourism (DOT)-ARMM.

Felmin said they have invested a great deal of time and effort to painstakingly collate the stories of Moro leaders and important events in Moro history.

“Although, the book may be lacking in one way or the other, it would have been impossible to accomplish without the full support of Regional Governor Datu Zaldy Uy Ampatuan,” he said.

Citing a quote by the South African icon, Nelson Mandela, Ampatuan said that Moros of today must “be guided and be inspired by the past, accustomed with the present and conscious of the future.”

He cautioned that the Bangsamoro would be “vulnerable to the threat of an imminent downfall” if they will just drift without a clear sense of purpose in the “face of the challenges of this generation”.

The regional leadership is hoping that the book will provide a good reference on Moro history and will become a prized possession on its own.

Ampatuan challenged the Bangsamoro to rise up to their potential “as a nation of Islam, and as a people who can achieve great things.”

He said this feat “will not be without sacrifice, not without unity, and not without partiality to the greater good of the majority.” (bpi-armm)