KIDAPAWAN CITY—In an effort to link up with her Muslim constituents, North Cotabato Gov. Emmylou “Lala” Taliño-Mendoza on Sept. 1 appointed a former village chief as the deputy governor for the Muslims during the culmination day of the province’s 97th foundation celebration and the Kalivungan Festival at the capitol grounds in barangay Amas.
Edris Gandalibo, a former village chief of barangay Nasapian in Carmen town, is also the secretary-general of the 2/11 Movement, a federation of 14 Moro peoples organizations binding themselves to lead the move in seeking justice “not just for those who were killed in the Buliok attack but [also for] other victims of injustice at the height of the 2003 war.”
After the culmination activity, Mendoza told reporters that she designated Gandalibo to be her alter ego to connect her to the Muslim communities.
“This is a huge province and there are about 35 percent to 40 percent Muslims in the province and 113 Muslim-dominated barangays. I personally like him because he can multitask like me. It would be better to work with those you personally know because when problems arise, there will be no misinterpretations,” said the governor, who also hails from Carmen.
Mendoza said that Gandalibo could assist her make her programs accessible to far-flung barangays especially to Muslims.
Gandalibo told the BusinessMirror that among his priorities will be to assist the governor resolve land conflicts among feuding families.
“The rido [family feud] has been a problem in some parts of the province, including my own barangay and its neighboring areas. We have resolved some of them through dialogues to avoid the escalation of conflict,” said the former village chief who also serves as the chairman of the Municipal Agriculture and Fishery Council in Carmen. He added that many land conflicts in the past have even dragged members of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front and eventually led to skirmishes with government forces.
Meanwhile, Mendoza added that she will name the deputy governor for the indigenous peoples as soon as the mandatory representations will be made in the Sangguniang Panlalawigan.
