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March 24, 2023

BCPCH Partakes in the 55th Commemoration of the Jabidah Massacre in Corregidor

Under Proclamation No. 00001 s. 2021 issued by the Chief Minister on March 8, 2021,
declaring the month of March 2021 and every year thereafter as “Bangsamoro
History Month” where the establishment of the BARMM is a monumental milestone
in the course of the Bangsamoro peace process and the Bangsamoro Government
recognizes the many other significant occasions in the history of the
Bangsamoro in pursuit of peace and the right to self-determination.

In light of the 1968 Jabidah Massacre, the Ministry of Public Order and Safety (MPOS)

spearheaded the conduct of a commemoration activity in Corregidor, last March
18, 2023, to commemorate such record embedded in the history of the Bangsamoro. 

With this year’s Bangsamoro History Month theme: “Enhancing National Unity by Mainstreaming Bangsamoro History”, the Commission joined the honoring of Tausug and Sama men who were unjustly slain on Cavite’s Corregidor Island in 1968 as part of the 55th commemoration of the Jabidah Massacre.

MPOS Minister Hussein P. Muñoz emphasized that this remembrance is an effort to promote healing, peace, and solidarity among all citizens of the nation rather than to ignite emotions.

Dr. Dimapuno A. Datu-Ramos Jr., Regional Director of NCMF-NCR, underscored what happened during the historic event by stating, “Let us never forget, nor our children’s children forget, what had happened, and why we pass on what we knew and experienced.”

Tirmizy Abdullah, an MSU-Marawi History Professor, while sharing the significance of the Jabidah Massacre on the Bangsamoro struggle for the right of self-determination, is urging the government to reopen the Jabidah Massacre debate amid efforts “not only to rewrite it but to deny it ever happened.”

BCPCH Representative Senior History Researcher Esnaira Salem added that “The Bangsamoro have come a long way from that faithful day. The Bangsamoro have reached a milestone. And as we move forward, let us be reminded that the road to Bangsamoro have been agonizing. But the sorrow was transcended by creative forces, wisdom, and courage”.

 A statement which reiterates and greatly emphasizes the vision for the creation of the Bangsamoro Museum as a repository of cultural artifacts reflecting the Bangsamoro Cultural Heritage and Identity as seen in the collective historical narratives in the wall of the institution.

Officials from other agencies also joined the activity like MPOS Deputy Minister Abdul Kudos Balitoc, MPOS Director General Atty. Al-Rashid Lucman Balt, Peace Program Officer Sittie Janine M. Gamao, BARMM Human Rights Commissioner Archie Buaya, Consortium of Bangsamoro Civil Society Chairperson Guiamel M. Alim, and other representatives from the academe.

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BCPCH is the primary institution in preserving the history, culture, arts, tradition, and rich cultural heritage of the Bangsamoro people across the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao.