Remembering the Bud Dajo Massacre: Rectifying the Past as Part of Healing and Reconciliation
On September 12, 2016, Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte presented a set of photos that includes a dreadful depiction of a part of our sad history as Bangsamoros. It is the story of this battle, the Battle of Bud Dajo,–a massacre of unswerving footings—that the President evoked once more.
Unknown to many, historical injustices committed against the Moro people of the Southern Philippines may perhaps heightened during one of the American occupation’s pacification efforts in what we generally refer to as the Bud Dajo Massacre.
Coined as “The Battle of Bud Dajo” but rather disputed to be a one-sidedaggression, the event is once again remembered in its 114th year which transpired on March 05-08, 1906 as one of the most gruesome events in history of the Bangsamoro people claiming more than 600 Tausugs, men women, elderly and children alike.
Listed by the Transitional Justice and Reconciliation Council (TJRC) as one of the key areas to be resolved and be rectified through historical annals and records, the Bud Dajo Massacre is a great reminder of the valiant zeal of our ancestors for freedom and honor that should be rekindled as means of moving forward in attaining justice and lasting peace for the Bangsamoros.
