The End of Ramadan Represent the Unity of the Bangsamoro

With the Symbolic unity of the Bangsamoro, the Holy month of Ramadan ends today, September 30, 2008. The Ulama and the local government officials of Marawi City, Lanao del Norte unite each other and hold their Id’l Fitr prayer at Quizon Avenue, most popularly known as “Banggolo” for Dansalan people. This represents the historic unity of the Bangsamoro, as the Holy month ended with out peace. They believe that this will enable them more blessings as they unite for their prayer of peace and solidarity.

The first line of the observers started at the head of the old Banggolo bridged, and ended at Land bank, or the Bato Masjeed. Both young and old of these City including other Muslims who intends to pray in mass come to observe the said Id’l Fitr prayer. Muslims believe that some individuals who seek for a common purpose are more blessed than a few. This encouraged them to come in group. Early at dawn, the rain pour gently giving all the plants to shower and bathe itself as the Muslims take an early bathe early in the morning. The birds hummed as they failed too take their early vocation instead they aligned themselves as they watch on the sacred affair. They knew that this crowed is harmless in nature.

The Holy month bid goodbye to all Muslims in the world, freeing them for any restrictions but leave morale to observers. It is a 29 day of total discipline including their mind and hearts. It does refined their heart and found themselves unharmed from abstaining foods and drinks. What remains is the fear of peace and order. It leaves a question of uncertainty. Are the bombshells that showers every day in their life, week before the Holy month will go on with? No one can predict, but this actually the message of their Id’l Fitr prayer. ALLAH (s.w.t.) IS MOST MERCIFUL AND KIND, we know ALLAH provided us all his protection and mercy…AMEEN!

Students’ Unpromising Adieu

It’s more than two weeks that I’m fighting from stressed. The problem is with in me. I cannot give accurate health complain the two meeting with my Internist Specialist. I cannot speak on where particular pain I am suffering to. With my short summary, I confessed, I actually do not know which, but I know I am tired. I did not say a word when she find objectionable in my personality. As usual, she prescribed me two kinds of vitamins and my hypertensive medicine.

I cannot clarify to her that I am worrying so many things and these include my decision on suspending our classes. The conflicts that I refuse to disclose in this writing feed me much reservations. If I will do, I am impairing their studies. To the contrary, if I do not, I might keep them in risks. I cannot decide for the best.

Finally….the point of no return according to some writer. I cannot hold clashes that happen in our locality. We might be caught in between, so I organize significantly. This is to minimize any vulnerability of the issue. I called on all my teachers, I superlatively advised them to send their students to the safest place. I instructed them further, to direct their students and come back after Id’l Fitr. The students understand that this a rushed decision, far from their expectations. Holidays are distant that we must have a hard time that is why we untimely send them for vacation. They screamed as if they fear from isolation. The teachers have to explain further, exemplifying hope for their return. I did not say a word, as I have not yet recovered from stressed.

When their teacher returned to wait for the next instructions, I immediately initiate to group the students according to origin. Those who came from south must go in group, for a safest return. The other groups follow the same approach together with their adviser, seeing them to the safest place. The groups of student together with their advisers departed in the portal of the school compound. I am left alone, thinking when they are coming back. My heart breaks when I witness them all moved out for untimely dismissal. Only ALLAH (s.w.t) can tell when can be a promising time for a probable resumption of classes.

That day is today, at about 10 in the morning…when the time of the day is too young for a student to go home. I know they are not alone. There are so many students who went home at the wrong time. If the variance will continue, how many more students go home untimely?

Ramadan-Al Kareem (Quote on a Daughter’s Diary)

Being refined with the reminders and reading about a love for mother, the Ramadan-Al Kareem breaks the silence of each and every Muslim who lightly put parents to the queuing lines of their priorities. As this diary was scan inside a daughter’s diary, the writer expects to cling this to the heart of every Muslim who lost their parents before and in this Holy month.

The Quest of Sobbing Daughter

Daughter: Oh mother dear, can you see me?

Mother: Of course I can, the most beautiful daughter, I am hugging tightly and clinging doubted

on to my shoulders…

Daughter: Yes I know, but not any more. I feel like protected by the wall of China! And I love

you for that.

Mother: But I failed to remember when was my last hugged? Is that huge blanket I used to be yours every night clean?

Daughter: (Silence won her mode and kept on nodding and crying, recalling when was her last hug too). Do you still remember that stuff?

Mother: You must be using that for your girl too…

Daughter: Can you hear me now, mother?

Mother: It’s you that has a cry of increasing tone that cause me to panic. My knees have many times banged on the stairs…

Daughter: (Sobbing loudly as the world closes to her. She thought of times her knees were bit into the door when her mother cried for water). Look mother! I brought to you a very nice dress. You should be using this for this Holy month.

Mother: I have more of that in the cabinet. Go come and have them or you may have them for those who need best dresses in this Holy month, but keep the nice one. I always buy you a nice dress.

Daughter: But you must wear this one, so you can see and hear me. I even cook delicious foods for you.

Mother: I have plenty of foods. Take your meal while the soup is hot. I cook your favorite delicacy. Have find any in the table?

Daughter: (She cannot longer hold her feeling and cried out loud. The people around were sobbing, for they cannot think of other way. She was reminded of all cares that her mother have before. She asked herself of the time she cooked delectable meal for her mother. Having no record of any, she screamed). I will be cooking your favorites from time on, but please open your eyes and see who these people around. They are all eager to have the best food for you.

Mother: (With a mysterious grin, and wipe her face to change her position. She left-up her left hand and turn to the right.)

Daughter: (Anticipating for end, she held the hand so tightly and grabbed to catch the last breath. She kissed her as her mother threw her meaningful smile. Her hand felt down and the daughter was brought outside unconscious)

Such is the scene of mother in the dying bed. We like to show all our comfort, our care, love and concern but faded as the memory of one failed. A person in the dying bed became pain- least, the world seems flat that cannot hear your whisper, the beat of your heart, the deepness of cry, the sense of hug, the loudness of scream and the sobs you inclined. If you are lucky to have any mother or a father, now is the time for all those. Find them the most delicious foods in the world you can afford. They need it now, more than ever. Share them your success, they long for it. Show them your fabulous smile, they treasure it. Your parents are the persons who love to listens the story of wonder and the joys you have ever.

HAVE YOU VISITED HER………………

The Smoke of War Extend Beyond My Book

These were the
students of
yesterday,
so jolly and
active. and
today...we
became fewer.
Where will we
find the other?







The day after
tomorrow, we
were fewer!
and this
school will
be a haunted
place!

It was Monday morning, 25^th day of August which my early vocation

of the day has been set. Since my day in teaching, I always see to it that

my schedule will be in the morning. I dislikes the afternoon session for I

refuse to see the eyes of students with mixed feeling of going home and

the point which their interest started to exhaust. I prepare two lessons that day.

I provided one for my Elementary Algebra, another for Geometry

while I scheduled my Advance Algebra for an evaluation test. Our lesson in

Elementary Algebra requires a review on “Addition of like and Unlike Signs”.

Adding like signs will always give positive result, regardless of its signs.

Positive and a positive resulted to positive, likewise negative and a

negative signs still provide a positive answer. As for the Geometry,

I have a review on adjacent angles to integrate it to the introduction of

quadrilaterals. I made it clear to the student that any adjacent angles

is always a supplementary angles, hence, regardless of its degrees the

two angles share a to a total of 180 degrees.

I pack-up my bag after a glass of coffee’ with milk and a pair of slice bread,

I rushed to our old-wheels that shuttle to our Barrio High National

High School. I was expecting to be a bit earlier than my students,

but I was wrong. When I enter in the classroom, I found them all set

to take the early lessons. I wrote on the blackboard the rules on

“addition of like and unlike sign”. I situated my writing on the rear side

of the blackboard to give more space for illustrations and discussions. I limit

my illustrations into four, since adding like signs required examples on

adding negative and a negative equals positive and adding positive equals

positive too, while unlike signs need examples on adding negative and a

positive equals negative, another on addition of positive and a negative

equals to negative also. To make this clear let us observe these

mathematical presentations;

Addition of like signs:

1.) -(-)=+

2.) +(+)=+

Addition of Unlike signs:

1.) –(+)=-

2.) +(-)=-

I started my discussions as clear as my writings. I tried to convince them

that any opposing idea will never gives positive result, like the addition of

unlike signs. “YES MA’AM!” They chanted in chorus as if my ears drop

its drums. ” VERY GOOD!” I seconded. Then how about the like signs, I asked.

One student was so very shy and said… Ma’am, you said before that a

negative number is not a counting numbers for they are not natural numbers,

how are the two negative numbers become positive? I paused for a while

and think on the question. It is a very smart question that I cannot think

for an immediate answer. In the first place I plan to give it as an assignment

to give ways for my advance research. But I am too shy to play this as an alibi.

Alas! I have a clue! I invite their attention and listen for awhile for were

almost done with our discussions. I started to explain and walk from the

right corner of the blackboard and pause when I arrive on the rear end.

Class, negative numbers are extension of natural numbers, I exaggerate!

But another smart student debated me that these negative numbers can be

used in scaling that goes below zero such as temperature. If the temperature

is below zero, that person is dead, and how should two death became positive.

It is another intellectual question but I have enough to answer it. The answer

is simple, I uttered, death is natural, which prove that negative is an extension

of natural numbers. A student on the left corner who did not understand the

flow of the discussions said, Ma’am! There is many natural numbers in

Udalo! (the war zone since August 24, between Piagapo Lanao del Sur

and Munai Lanao del Norte) I became damned and cannot remember my

last tone. I closed my class record and announce the early break time. I advise

them to come back on time, because the next teacher will keep waiting.

I mingled with my fellow teachers who were busy discussing with the number

of casualties in the same place. Classes in all level, both high school and

elementary has been suspended. We were the only school who handle their

regular classes. We cannot suspend the classes for the “National College

Admission examination will be given on the 27^th of the same month. We

have only two days to wait, except, we will be handling review on the said

Examination to the Senior Students who will take on the said date. Although

the smoke of the war extends beyond our books, but the welfare of the

students will be much affected. We cannot decide otherwise. I confessed

my new anecdote in my freshman students, but they supported the jokes

and agreed that there are really many natural numbers in the said place,

meaning many died in the combat zone.

I pick-up my lesson plan for Geometry and exit to forget the issue. Right

after a few touched on the past lessons, I drew a line intersected by another

line and asked the students what does this line means. One student answered

loudly and said it forms two angles and the same are adjacent angles.

That is correct! I cheered! Can you explain further? As I point on another

student. Then the student answered…Ma’am, an adjacent angles are

supplementary angles! Well done! I clap my hands. Can you give a particular

example? Like a supplementary angles that we are discussing now! Another

student volunteered. Ma’am! She proudly ushered, Udalo and Radapan are adjacent barangay,Therefore, they are supplementary angles equals to 180 degrees.

The Barangay Udalo evacuated and so did Radapan, they shared 180 degrees

of the war, she added. The line of the Arm Forces of the Philippines intersected

the line of the Bangsamoro Army, forming two angles so that the two adjacent

Barangay unequally acquired the degrees of the war. Thus, the degrees affect

the two and make the people to evacuate. Oh! Dear ALLAH! My two lessons

never give morale to keep for these scared students. Their minds were filled with

the smoke of the war! I have no comment to share but I instead shed tears

and went out side of the room.

Before the morning session ended, series of bang! Another bang! Another bang

again! My students were nowhere to find! They run as fast as they can, and

I did not tend to catch them I cannot make it! I enter in the faculty Room and

cried so loud that I did not notice the other faculties who cried in chorus. The

powerful weapon was just two kilometers away from our school. The machine

gun was operated in the Hail side of the nearest University. The smoke and

the sounds hurt our ears. We don’t know where to find a safest place. The gun

seems to bang our head, tough it was not. Fear accommodates our heart. We

don’t know whom to save, although the victim was unknown. We were certain

there were some, but we don’t know who they are. Fear, confusions and a

mixed feeling of anger, but we don’t know whose to blame.

The following day, I report for office work to check my students. Who were

safe and who may not. Thanks to the mercy of ALLAH! They were all clearly

safe but only some report for school and the few never show-up until this writing

is made. I cannot afford to think such harmony in school which turned out to

be horror. I cannot open my book for it entails a memory of the past. The

memories that keeps my heart to hold all the hands of my students, but I

was not able to reach them. They scattered in every corner of the school to

secure themselves. Finally, they went home with out taking my warnings.

Such is the pictures of scared students.

We are the students and teachers in this Combat Zone. We carried in our

books but the smoke of the war extended beyond! Can we have a chance

to interpret other expressions and terms other than the smoke of the war?

How will our lives as students and educators move without been pricked by

its thorn…

YA ALLAH! SAVE OUR MISSION IN LIFE. WE ARE YOUR

SERVANT WHO SAT UNDER YOUR MERCY!

The 6thday of Ramadan

The month of Ramadan is a festivity of fruits and vegetable. After the As'r prayer (3pm), mothers are busy preparing for the break of fast. Some were inclined for the fruit salad. I think this is ideal because the day past with the absence of foods, hence soft foods are recommended. We prepare to have more vegetable to feel what was hard in missing delectable foods.
We are purely a Maranaw-Muslim and we feel the spirit of this month. From early part of dawn we try to fill our demand for foods. After Subuh prayer (prayer at dawn), we return to sleep and wake up at 7am. This to start our vocation of the day. we adjusted every thing, including our schedule at school and the start of our family business fo the day.
For this time, we were bit upset on the peace and order as it started week before the Holy month. We just hope this to end to give chance on affected areas. Though we are affected but we pity fellow Muslim who were not able to observe the Holy month at their home, rather to the evacuation center...HAPPY rAMADAN AL- MUBARRAK!