Meeting the Tausog Lawmakers

By Mortz C. Ortigoza

When the members of the Sangguniang Panlalawigan (SP) (provincial lawmaking body) of Basilan were acknowledged and honored by the SP of Pangasinan at the Capitol in Lingayen this morning during their Lakbay Aral I was beside them standing as I just arrived to see what was the agenda of the body.

“Mapia mapita (good morning)!” I hollered so the Basilan officials located at the rear part of the August Chamber could hear me.

Damn! There was no response to their faces even as some of them including their women lawmakers clad in a black burka glanced once in a while to the spectators who were located at the gallery at the right side.

Di nila siguro ako naintindihan because I used the dialect of the Maguindanaon I heard while growing up in Cotabato Province.

These guys are Tausog – the fierce warrior tribe that fought to death the Spaniards, Americans, and Marcosian soldiers many of them from Ilocoslovakia and Pangasinan.

I tried to greet them again in Arabic – the medium of instruction of the Muslims and Arabs around the world:

“Assalamualaikum Warahmatullahi Wabarakatuh (Peace be upon you and God’s mercy and blessings),” I said.

Most of them looked at this heretic (sinner) Christian and beamed including those ladies wearing a black dress that covered their heads.

“Wa alaikum assalam (and upon you be peace),” some of them responded.

I should be crying “Allahu Akbar! (‘God is most great’!)” but I refrained lest Vice Governor Mark Lambino ordered his body guards – retired army and marine soldiers - throw me out in the Capitol for alarm and scandal or giving impression to the Christian crowd there that there was a suicide bomber standing that wanted to kill them and eventually commit suicide to get the reward of having 72 virgin- wives in heaven (Jannah) for eternal copulation because he waged a Jihad or being a shuhada (martyr) against the kuffars (nonbelievers) in Pangasinan.