DAVAO CITY (MindaNews) – While Davao City is not a stranger to violence, the sheer damage of the 2003 bombs that tore through 39 bodies at the Davao International Airport and the Sasa Wharf, barely a month from each other, changed everything. The fatalities and the over 200 wounded were tragic enough, but the terrorist attacks further fractured the already strained relationship between the minority Moro community and the predominantly Christian residents.
Authorities linked the bombings to Islamic extremists, which further fueled the distrust towards the small Moro communities, largely isolated in slum areas in the coastal communities. Then mayor Rodrigo Duterte knew that something had to change. He created the Madrasah Comprehensive Development and Promotion Program.
The program aimed to dispel the misconception that the madaris (plural of madrasah) were breeding grounds for radicalization and to promote a more accurate understanding of Islam.
Alim Abdulrahman Caderao, Executive Director of the Madrasah Comprehensive Development and Promotions Unit (MCDPU), explains that the unit is designed to clear the image of the madrasah, which literally means school or a place of study.
“There was a time when people had the stereotype that the madrasah was a breeding ground for terrorism. Because of this program, the views of people, most especially the men in uniform, changed,” he said.
“That’s why we have this slogan, ‘Spreading basic knowledge through authentic sources.’ When it is authentic, we can avoid misconceptions and negative stereotypes about Islam that even Muslims themselves are ignorant about.”
The unit hosts symposiums and awareness campaigns, but most importantly, maintains 47 madaris in the grassroots, where Asatidz (Islamic teachers) correct erroneous teachings and equip the students with the right tools “to combat violent extremism and radicalism.”
The Madrasah program was later elevated into a city office with annual funding support from the Local School Board of over P10 million through Executive Order No. 53-21 signed by then Mayor Sara Duterte in October 2010, on her fourth month as mayor.
In her EO, Duterte also outlined the tasks of the MCDPU: educate Muslim children on the true values of Islam, along with Arabic writing, reading, and arithmetic, so they grow up to be law-abiding residents; formulate plans and supervise madrasah education in the city; and spearhead Muslim community outreach programs.
The unit was also directed to “promote Davao City as a peaceful city where all cultures and religions harmoniously co-exist.”
Sword hanging over the head
After earning a reputation as the Philippines’ “Killing Fields” due to urban communist guerrilla warfare in the 1980s, and grappling with the dreaded vigilante killings attributed to the “Davao Death Squad” in the 1990s and early 2000s when the blood of criminals and innocents littered the streets, Davao City has cultivated a global reputation for peace and order, particularly in recent years.
For instance, it ranked behind Dumaguete in the World Travel Index 2025’s Safest Cities in the Philippines, and third safest in Southeast Asia behind Chiang Mai and Thailand, according to the crowd-sourced website Numbeo.
Nonetheless, it’s not immune to terrorist attacks. After all, its unique position as the hub of economic and political activity seems like a low-hanging fruit for those who want to send a message.
Among the high-profile attacks here that were blamed on Moro suspects are:
- The bombing of the Davao Airport and Sasa Wharf in March and April 2003. The attack was blamed on the Moro Islamic Liberation Front and the Jemaah Islamiyah, supposedly as retaliation for the Buliok Complex battle in February 2003, where at least 160 MILF members were killed. The attacks also gave birth to Task Force Davao on April 16, 2003, following the order signed by President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo.
- The Valentine’s Day bombing in 2005, killing a 12-year-old boy and wounding five others at the Davao City Overland Transport Terminal in Ecoland. The Abu Sayyaf Group owned up to the attack.
- The bombing of the SM City and Gaisano Mall cinemas on Sept. 17, 2013, wounding five persons.
- The Roxas Night Market bombing on Sept. 2, 2016, killing 15 people and injuring 70 others. The Maute and MILF breakaway group, with the help of the Jemaah Islamiyah, claimed responsibility for the attack.
The Moro communities were quickly blamed for these, prompting their leaders to come forward and speak out.
Alim Jamal Munib, former executive director of the MCDPP, said the Moro communities have been very cooperative with the city’s security forces. In fact, they police their ranks and monitor, and even report unfamiliar faces in their respective communities.
“If we notice strangers in our community and he or she doesn’t have any relatives in our respective communities, we will conduct verification on why they are here,” Munib was quoted as saying in a MindaNews report in September 2013.
Grand Mufti Mohammad Pasigan echoed Munib’s sentiments as he shared their practice of calling for a meeting if they observe unfamiliar groups or individuals hiding in their neighborhoods.
The Fight Over Youths’ Minds and Hearts
Caderao acknowledges that the distrust towards Muslims still exists. But that only motivates them to work even harder, knowing the quiet but significant role that the Madrasah program plays in ensuring the youth doesn’t get radicalized.
“How does one become radicalized?” he explained. “When people turn to Internet sheiks or Internet clerics who cherry-pick the fatwa (ruling on Islamic law by a recognized authority in response to a question). The problem is that without a solid foundation, one cannot know how to channel the Islamic doctrine. They don’t know how to balance, especially here in the Philippines, where we should be peacefully co-existing with different cultures and religions.”
“Another reason is when they experienced abuse and oppression by men in uniform, although we are not generalizing, when they were still in Lanao or when they were still in Sulu. It’s the same reason given by some when they joined the NPA (New People’s Army), for example. Their concept of non-Muslims and society becomes the triggering factor why they have this corrupted view of Islam,” he added.
Caderao said the role of the Madrasah Unit is to raise awareness through its curriculum, which is being propagated by the Ustadz, the Arabic educators, and Ulama about the true teachings of Islam.
Before the Madrasah Unit, there were already existing madaris in the community. “Unlike before, we now use a curriculum that we developed with the help of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, which we know is the cradle of Sunni Islam. In contrast, the madaris previously had different interpretations guided by Libya or Egypt. So we needed to unify the curriculum,” he said.
In 2023, Caderao and his team also enhanced and modified the old curriculum to reflect the changes in the way today’s youth consume information, although the interpretation remains the same.
“The curriculum from 2004 to 2022 was quite broad, unlike the 2023 curriculum, where we made it more cohesive and specific to the needs of the youth in these challenging times,” he said.
Quran: A Guidepost to Life
Twenty-year-old Juwairia M. Arogong is a Grade 7 student at the Madrasah School. Her family migrated from Lanao del Sur four years ago when her parents decided to try their luck in Davao City, among their relatives in Mini-Forest. Most of the Meranaw residents in this highly dense urban sprawl trace their roots to Lanao.
She was 16 years old when she was uprooted from a slow-paced rural life to live here, which was culture shock to say the least. She also grew up going to a Madrasah in Lanao, so acclimating to her current school posed no issue.
“I had a more difficult time adjusting to living with non-Muslims. Because I wasn’t used to being around non-Muslims, as I grew up with Muslim friends,” she said.
And she was hit with a reality that she had never experienced before: discrimination.
“It’s shocking. However, we take refuge in the teachings of Islam, where we are taught how to act and live like a Muslim. So we know how to distance ourselves and not allow discrimination to impair how we view the world,” she said.
Arogong also said that their Madrasah teachers remind them about the responsible use of social media. “While it’s not strictly prohibited, we are extra careful in how we use social media or the Internet. Our scholar advised us to read directly from the source, which is the Quran, to avoid being confused by what we see on the Internet.”
The Madrasah curriculum: a foundation for peace
Ustadza Omaima Qadhi wears two hats: As director of the Ma Ahad Salmonan Al-Islamic Institution and also a teacher of the Madrasah school in Mini-Forest, Quezon Boulevard, a Moro community of mostly Meranaws from Lanao.
She said there was already an existing Islamic school in Mini-Forest managed by 19 datus. She started teaching in the school in 1994 and hasn’t stopped since, even when the old institution was integrated into the Madrasah program.
“Before the comprehensive program, we used textbooks from Marawi. Now, we have grade-specific modules developed by the ulama, all of whom were educated abroad. We’ve introduced quarterly reporting and assessment tests to monitor student progress. Teacher training has also been enhanced through seminars focusing on effective teaching methodologies,” she said.
The curriculum is structured to provide a comprehensive Islamic education:
- Kindergarten: Reading the Quran, mathematics, drawing, basic Arabic reading, and writing;
- Elementary: Quranic studies, Islamic faith expression, prayer techniques, Arabic spelling, grammar, and mathematics;
- High School: Standard subjects alongside in-depth Quranic studies, its historical context, and character building to foster responsible Muslim citizens.
She said the comprehensive program is structured in such a way that the youth won’t lose their way (“Hindi maligaw ng landas).” From Kindergarten, we teach children how to pray, instilling Islamic character and values, emphasizing their relationship with Allah and the importance of the Quran. We teach good conduct; for example, disobedience to parents is haram (forbidden). While we can’t claim 100% success, the majority of our students develop a strong understanding of Islam, its principles, and interfaith relations.”
Her school has over 20 teachers, including 13 volunteers who are paid P2,500 monthly from the pockets of the Islamic leaders in the community. Meanwhile, the Asatidz are paid P12,500 by the city on a contract-of-service status.
For school year 2024-2025, the MCDPU graduated 3,000 learners.
However, only 10 students managed to graduate from high school in her own institution, and only 20 elementary students moved up to another level. She cited some challenges in keeping the learners in the Madrasah. Apart from poverty and land displacement, they also have to deal with parents’ mindsets.
She explained that parents think that it’s enough that their children know how to read the Quran and can ably answer questions from Munkar and Nakir, who will test their faith in the afterlife. “That’s their reason they go to the Madrasah in the first place. Each Muslim who passes must answer these questions: Who did you worship? What was your religion? Where did you face when you prayed? Who was your prophet?”
Nevertheless, she said they could only forge on since they know, as teachers, they have the duty to teach students the right values in Islam so that they learn their roles in the larger community and how to deal with their brothers and sisters from other religions.
“We also teach them how to deal with discrimination for being a minority or when they hear the negative stereotypes, like associating all Muslims with terrorists. In Islam, each one of us learns sabar, which is to persevere (roughly translated to endurance or patience),” she said.
“For instance, sabar is having the patience not to talk back and speak ill of people, even if they discriminate against us,” she added.
Balik Islam conundrum
For about three decades now, Davao City has always tried to be inclusive to its six Moro ethnic groups – Meranaw, Tausug, Maguindanaoan, Iranun, Kagan, and Sama. Each group elects a deputy mayor under the Davao City Muslim Affairs Office.
However, the city has a relatively small Moro population, even smaller than the national average in terms of percentage. According to the 2015 Census, Davao City only had 63,127 Muslims or 3.86% of the total 1.63 million inhabitants then. For comparison, Moros made up 6.0% of the population of the Philippines at that time. The Philippine Statistics Authority has yet to update the numbers.
But the OFW diaspora to the Middle East and the intermingling of local populations also gave rise to the Balik Islam, which is both a bane and a boon to the Muslim community.
Caderao said new converts “are very vulnerable because they are still learning the ropes.”
“They don’t have a solid foundation to fall back on. So, they are also easily manipulated by appealing to their emotions. When they are emotionally driven, they will be easily recruited by extremist groups,” he said.
This sentiment was shared by Abdul Hakeem Omalay, Office of the Balik Islam representative. He said Muslim converts at the earlier stages of their learning are the most vulnerable to radicalism.
“The extremists use the same Quran and the same Hadith. The only difference is how they interpret Jihad. Whereas Jihad for us means to struggle. If you fight against your desires, that’s Jihad. If you wake up at dawn to pray, that’s Jihad. Jihad does not mean war. The word war in Arabic is harb or al-harb,” he said.
He said Jihadists use social media to look for new converts based on what they post. “They will send you a PM (private message). They give you money, they give you rice, also give you support that you need, like free education. Until slowly and surely, they start indoctrinating you,” he explained.
For instance, he claimed five Balik Islam converts joined the Maute Group during the five-month Marawi Siege in 2017, where Islamic State-backed radicals occupied parts of the city. “I personally know somebody who joined the Jihadist movement in Marawi. Due to a lack of correct knowledge about Islam, they are persuaded into believing the extremist ideology.”
Col. Darren Comia, former Task Force Davao commander, conceptualized an integration program targeting Balik Islam in 2022, so they wouldn’t feel as isolated. He estimated these converts to number 3,500 to 5,000 in the city.
He said that while these converts can go to the mosque to pray, they have a hard time integrating into the communities because of cultural differences. He cited cases when the Balik Islam converts could not even secure an ID from the National Commission on Muslim Filipinos due to the absence of parameters.
“We formulated implementing rules and regulations to institutionalize the Balik Islam community, where they will be prioritized along with the six Muslim tribes and five IP tribes in the city,” he said.
The Balik Islam Council has started a census of Muslim converts in the region. However, the move has been hampered by the lack of funding, especially since the council has yet to receive a budget allocation from the local government.
Nevertheless, Omalay said they have already recorded around 500 individuals to date. He estimates more than 2,000 Balik Islam in Davao. He said Col. Comia’s estimates are a little high, considering that a lot of converts have decided not to continue to practice the faith.
Constant and consistent collaboration
While most of the Muslims in the Philippines are Sunnis, Caderao also raised concerns over the rising Shi’ism (Shi’as) in the country. “If not regulated, they are a very dangerous kind of sect because, unlike the Sunnis, where we only have a sanctuary, they have an armed component, which is the Islamic Republic of Iran,” he said.
“Shi’a has a doctrine where those who kill a Sunni will enter paradise. Although they hide and deny it, it’s true. It’s in their books,” he added.
He said Muslim converts are vulnerable to radicalization by the Shi’a, who will persuade them that violence is the way to effect drastic and immediate change.
Caderao said that while the Madrasah Unit has no direct program for Balik Islam integration, they partnered with the Kapayapaan Center under the Davao City Muslim Affairs Office for specific programs targeting Islamic converts.
“The Madrasah Unit and the Kapayapaan center will facilitate new Muslims to make it easier for them to practice their faith. For instance, we assigned a Balik Islam teacher to the center to provide insights and provide clarity to their questions involving the Quran or the Moro culture in general,” he said.
“So, our Balik Islam know their boundaries and the difference between religion and culture because sometimes, these two things may clash, particularly in traditional practices and the teachings of Islam,” he further said. “If one is not too well-educated, they might mistakenly think that it’s part of Islam.”
[Joel E. Escovilla / Mindanao Times. This story was produced under the Patricio P. Diaz Fellowship Program, implemented by the Mindanao Institute of Journalism and MindaNews under the Media Impact Philippines project. The program is supported by International Media Support (IMS) and co-funded by the European Union and the Danish International Development Agency (DANIDA)]
