Stories of Marawi, told from the heart

It has been a year since the Siege of Marawi. And while many questions remain about the ultimate fate of the city, the people of Marawi and of surrounding areas are preoccupied with recovering, rebuilding and renewing from the ruins of their lives and of their city.

For the rest of us Filipinos who, through months of news reports and sketchy accounts of battle, were informed of the struggles of the people of Marawi only from a distance and from a remove, the story remains vague and uncertain. What little we know of what happened during those months remains like so much background noise, increasingly fading in significance. One year on, and Marawi is on the verge of fading from memory.

But not for the people caught in the line of fire. Along with the challenges of survival and picking up the pieces of their lives, survivors must also cope with the sense of fragility, insecurity, and an uncertain future that the experience wrought.

Introducing “ANC Presents: New Moon,” a series of short films about various aspects of the events in Marawi, ABS-CBN Integrated News and Current Affairs chief Ging Reyes said that when ANC, the network’s 24-hour news channel, “began brainstorming how it can commemorate a tragedy that razed an entire city … and changed lives forever,” they wondered if they should follow the “tried and tested” formula of sending their reporters to revisit the site of their past coverage. But, she added, “we figured that while journalists can ‘parachute’ into Marawi, there will still be untold stories and perhaps, angles we may miss, simply because we are spectators from Manila.”

Thus it was decided, said Reyes, that in the course of marking the first anniversary of the siege, the network search for “not just stories but storytellers who have lived through this war — so that they can take us through their journey, so they can make us see, through their lenses, their own takeaways from the tragedy.”

Last night, the network debuted “New Moon,” a collection of the works of four young filmmakers who lived through the siege, the military response, the mass evacuation and subsequent relocation of residents, and the current state of uncertainty. “New Moon” will be shown throughout the week and a full episode will air soon on ANC anchored by Tina Monzon Palma.

Four young filmmakers were tapped to submit storylines of their own choosing while journalists of ABS-CBN provided guidance and technical support “to bring to fore authentic unfiltered stories from Marawi’s ground zero.”

The four are students Sittie Alyssah Diron and Geral Jan Niño Omelio from Mindanao State University-Marawi, ARMM assistant Cabinet secretary Omar Ali, and MSU-Marawi professor Ali Yusoph.

Sittie Alyssah, a journalism senior, megged “Matou,” which tells the story of Mastora “Matou” Dadayan, a farmer and fisherman living in a small barangay in Marawi. His is a sad story: During the siege, Matou’s wife and unborn child passed away, leaving him alone to care for their older son.

Geral, a development communication senior, produced “Kanlungan” with fellow students. It centers on teenaged Zohmaya and her younger siblings, who lost their home and were forced to live with different families in the aftermath of the siege.

Omar’s film “Suicide Squad” tells the story of a group of rescuers trained to respond to natural disasters who in the midst of a “manmade” disaster must look after not just their loved ones and neighbors, but even terrorists caught in the crossfire.

Finally, there is “Islam,” produced by Ali and his wife Sur. The short film tackles the difficulties of “trying to make sense of [the virtues of Islam] while living through the dire consequences of war waged by fellow Muslims in the name of Allah.”

Indeed, eye-opening and heartrending stories all. And most important, told from the heart and experience of those most deeply acquainted with the events and still struggling to grapple with the meaning and consequences of the Siege of Marawi.

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