Lay witness to my so-called fundamental existence.

I traveled for about six hours to reach this city located at the mouth of the Pulangui River.

The Mighty Polangui River

 

Also known as the Rio Grande de Mindanao

The city rests upon a river delta where people of different faiths settle vis-à-vis yet are secured by guns, goons and ammunition courtesy of our country’s armed forces and also of the private body guards of prominent political figures and businessmen.

At first I planned to spend the weekend in Davao, but then there was a need for me to visit government accounts in Cotabato. I was worried that I might be wasting my weekend in Mindanao but then I got excited to travel to Maguindanao on a Sunday and visit the old city.

Some people are afraid to visit Cotabato City. I was worried too. I’ve read stories about how unsafe the place was and how the city suffered from years and years of trouble. I still remember that the city was hit by an earthquake in the 1970’s and consequently with a tsunami that brought the city down. I think I read about it in an elementary textbook.

I was actually excited to visit the place. They said it has a deep and rich historical value that dates back to 15^th century when Shariff Kabunsuan arrived in the area from Johore. From some other historical accounts, Cotabato was an old capital town of Mindanao, especially at the time when Sultan Dipatuan Kudarat ruled.

I traveled with my dealer, Lani and she said the city demographic is a mix of Christians, Iranon Muslims, and tribal groups with people coming from the island of Luzon and the Visayas as well as from mainland China. I was a bit surprised that majority of people speak Tagalog. This could have been brought by a massive migration of people from Luzon in the 1900s prior to World War II who decided to settle in the river delta.

I find Cotabato City unique. My reasons are:

1. Military men in full gear are visible in almost all major intersections and important offices or buildings. You could also see them inside fast food joints and restaurants.

Exhibit A

2. Personal body guards of politicians, head of clan, and of businessmen abound.

3. I saw several new models of SUVs and AUVs, some could not even be found in Manila or Cebu. I saw the latest model of TOYOTA Fortuner at Sinsuat Avenue and I counted at least five of such model.

4. Old buildings that withstood the test of earthquake, wars and floods are still in use.

5. Cotabato City voted NO in a plebiscite for inclusion to the ARMM. Thus, the city still belongs to Region 12. But, the Office of the Regional Governor for ARMM is located in Cotabato. How confusing is that?

The Office of the ARMM Governor

6. People spit everywhere: on a fastfood floor, restaurants, buses, sidewalks and anywhere concrete.

7. The Notre Dame University of Cotabato is said to be the oldest Marist educational institution in the country.

8. The last bus trip out of Cotabato City is 3pm. If you miss the bus, you have no choice but to ride a van for hire from Cotabato to as far as Kabacan, North Cotabato.

9. Almost all shops close a little past 6pm. It’s kind of a ‘ghost town’ at night.

10. The city smells odd. Though I was not quite sure if it’s urine or saliva or rotten things but generally, the city is very poor in the hygiene department.

We had a proper timing. When we arrived at Cotabato, the hotel rooms were almost fully occupied. The El Manuel Inn was already fully booked and so we were brought to the Diamond Hotel and luckily, we got the last vacant room. There were armed men in the lobby and they all stared at us. The ARMM governor was scheduled to deliver his State of the Region Address at the ORC  in Cotabato the following day and so the hotels are basically full.

I met Eugene at the hotel lobby, 2 hours after and he drove me and my dealer to Aling Precy’s at Sinsuat Avenue for dinner. Eugene was my dorm mate at Kalayaan Hall at UP. He’s presently working at a milling plant in Cotabato City for almost a year now. I was quite shocked when I learned that he accepted the job at the mill. It was our first meeting after so many years and we were quite surprised that it has been 11 years since we last saw each other.

With Eugene at Aling Precy’s

The good thing though about meeting Eugene is that we were able to do our sales pitch. Aside from the possible sales lead, we also got the chance to talk about the city. Eugene told us that even up to now, he’s still a bit scared to go out on the street at night. The streets of Cotabato may look peaceful but then one could never tell what lurks in the dark. He said a lot of people carry guns in the city and one must be careful not to spark some anger or cause any ire, enough for someone to pull the trigger of a gun on you.

According to him, people live simple lives in Cotabato. There are no movie houses, no disco bars, no late night shops. Business activities happen during the day. Almost everyone are in their respective homes already at the strike of 8pm. Our conversation with Eugene had extended until almost 10pm.

The following day, we visited the DOST and BFAR offices in Cotabato. The current ARMM governor Ampatuan had scheduled his SORA (state of the region address) at the government complex at almost the exact time that we were there .

After visiting the our public accounts, we took photos of the ORC on our way out.

Near the entrance to the government complex

DOST ARMM

Where Gov. Ampatuan delivered his SORA

Surely its a different experience. The way I saw the city, Cotabato may just be a misunderstood place. People seemed to live normal lives, in spite of the fact that there’s a strong military presence in the area. Outsiders like us may have at some point pictured a negative image of Cotabato. An image that somehow made us believe that the city is a war zone, an unlivable place, a lawless field run by gangleaders or a mob.

I must admit that the city’s charm may have been lost due to incidents of kidnapping, friction between different beliefs and some neighboring strife, yet it still manage to hold its people together. Cotabato has been a venue for Muslims and Christians and other indegenous tribes who live and interact without having to use guns or fists. It has suffered from the acts of those who may not be from Cotabato but perhaps from nearby towns. The trouble they caused had put the city in a set back.

It used to be a very progressive city. But now it couldn’t catch up with other urban cities like Davao or Cagayan de Oro City in terms of growth and devlopment. But personally, I could sense the city’s desire to live in peace and their desire to move on and progress.

I think its time to give Kuta Wato a chance to redeem itself.