cover story magazine The Sunday Times
November 21, 2010
Bae-a-Panoroganan of Masiu; and her grandfather Hadji Mohammad Dimangadap, the Kasangoan-a-Adil of Ganassi, who also served as the town’s vice mayor.
The groom
The groom, Alanoden “Allan” Laguindab Gandamasir is a licensed customs broker, who is also connected with the Bureau of Customs and assigned at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport in Parañaque City. Allan comes from a family of educators. His
father, Datu Haman Gandamasir is a school supervisor of the Department of Education and his mother, Bae Panoroganan Marohomsalic- Laguindab is a school principal. Allan also belongs to the nobility, relating his ancestry to the royalty of Pagayawan, Tugaya, Ganassi, Pualas, Picong, Kalawi- Bacolod, Bayang, Taraka and Danogan. His grandfather was Sultan-a-Cabugatan or Paramount Prince of Picong, and later Sultan of Danogan in Pualas. His grandmother was also the Sultan-a-bae or Sultana of Danogan. From his bloodline in Pagayawan, Ganassi and Pualas, his middle name comes from that of his great uncle, the Sultan Laguindab of Ganassi. In Tugaya, the groom’s great grandfather named Marandang was also the Sultan-a- Cabugatan or Paramount Prince of Tugaya.
Common ancestry
The bride and the groom have blood relations, sharing common ancestry all the way to the patriarchs and matriarchs of Lanao, particu- larly in the uninterrupted line to Rajah Boroa of Pagayawan and Rajah Barrat of Ganassi. They are also both related to a third generation grandfather Dianalan, who was the first Sultan of Ganassi. Their great grand uncle, Sultan Laguindab, is the great grandson of Sultan Dianalan. This relative is also the son of the Bae-a-Romapenet of Ramain-Ditsaan and Marohomsalic, who in turn is the son of Balindong and the Bae-a-labi or Queen of the Paramount Sultanate of Pagayawan. They are the son and daughter of Rajah Barat and Rajah Boroa.
In the book of Cesar Adib Majul, Muslims in the Philippines, Rajah Boroa of Pagayawan, who is first in the bloodline of both Nashmyleen and Allan, earned his niche in the history of the Bangsa Moro as the King from Lanao who went to Sulu on a marriage mission. However, the Maranao salsila does not have a record of what happened to the marriage mission or its consequences. But to this day, some of the Maranao families choose to remember their ancestry from
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■ SPONSORS TO A ROYAL WEDDING From left are Solicitor General Jose Anselmo Cadiz; Health Undersecretary Alex Padilla; former National Youth Commission Secretary Amina Rasul; lawyer Anatess Oracion; lawyer Maisara Latiph; lawyer Carlos Medina Jr.; lawyer Koko Pimentel; and former Rep. Roan Libarios.
Maguindanao and Sulu, naming their sons and daughters with enduring titles that remind them of their non-Maranao kinship, such as Lalawanen sa Sulog or High Princess from Sulu, or Mama-sa- Maguindanao or Prince from Maguindanao. In a nutshell, based on the salsila or genealogic history, all the people of Lanao are related to one another. In the case of Nash and Allan, they are related as second cousins. Just as in the olden times, marriage between a bride and a groom with blood relations was common practice in order to strengthen alliances against invaders. In fact, the Maranao people organized themselves into a Commonwealth and Military Confed- eracy, now known as the Pat-a-Pangampong- o-Ranao or the Four Principalities of Lanao.
Sponsors fit for royalty The royal Maranao wedding was witnessed
by a total of 51 sponsors. As expected for a prince and princess, the list is com- prised of equally illustrious names from the Senate, the President’s cabinet, heads of civil society, local government officials, and high-ranking officials of the judiciary and the Philippine National Police. Most notable among the couple’s chosen sponsors were Sen. Francis “Chiz” Escudero; Supreme Court Associate Justice Jose Perez; Executive Secretary Paquito Ochoa Jr.;
Senior Deputy Executive Secretary Jose Amor Amorado; Secretary Teresita Quintos- Deles; Philippine Center for Islam and Democracy Lead Convener and The Manila Times columnist, Amina Rasul; Solicitor General Jose Anselmo Cadiz; Justice Undersecretary Jovy Salazar; City Prosecutor Amerhassan Paudac; National Commission on Muslim Filipinos Commissioner Raida Bansil-Maglangit; Undersecretary Alex Padilla; Rep. Pangalian Balindong of Lanao del Sur; former Rep. Roan Libarios; Deputy Court Administrator Raul Villanueva; engineer Ben Lim Jr.; Ambassador Tita de Villa; Gov. Mamintal “Bombit” Adiong Jr. of Lanao del Sur; lawyer Koko Pimentel; lawyer Carlos Medina Jr.; Commissioner Saira Umpa and Ambassador Mas Umpa; National Bureau of Investigation Director Abdul Gani Benito; Sultan Ali Marohomsalic Balindong; engineer Hassan Garcia; Gen. Marcelo Garbo Jr.; and the six mayors from the different municipalities in the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao, namely Jess Burahan, Tony Disomimba, Nazruddin Maglangit, Alinader Balindong, Wilson Nandang and Danny Dipatuan.
Also among the sponsors who witnessed the ceremony and gave the couple words of wisdom were Gloria Velasco of the Bureau of Customs and Gen. Sarip Laut of the Philippine National Police.
The royal wedding proper One may think that a Maranao wedding is
just like any other wedding among the Muslim tribes in the Philippines. But as one of the guests who witnessed the solemn occasion observed, the Gandamasir- Marohomsalic nuptial was both unique and special, as it successfully presented the age-old traditions of the Maranao royal
wedding in a modern setting. Some of the principal sponsors, especially the non-Muslims, were amazed to see such a wedding for the first time. Aleem Abdul Jabbar Macarimber, the officiating Imam, began the ceremony by talking about the virtues of married life. He also narrated both the rights and duties of the husband and wife. The Imam then called on the father of the bride to stand before him, and thereafter the groom, asking the latter to hold the hand of his would be father-in-law. The Imam covered their hands with a white cloth to symbolize the purity of heart of the groom in marrying his wife-to-be. Also, the white cloth also represented the father’s willing- ness and sincerity in giving his daughter to become the groom’s lawfully wedded wife. As both men stood before the Imam, the father of the bride solemnly informed his would be son-in-law that he has accepted him to become the husband of his daughter. He also advised the groom to take care of his daughter and fulfill his responsibilities as a husband in accord- ance with the teachings of Islam. In response, the groom vowed to take care of his daughter and support his new family in all their needs. At this point of the ceremony, those who were not familiar with the Maranao wedding customs were probably baffled by what they witnessed. The bride was nowhere in sight, and was actually being kept in a special room.
For those who are not familiar with the Maranao marriage customs, it looks like the groom is marrying the father of the bride, since at this point the bride is nowhere in sight since she is being kept in her special room. After the exchange between the bride’s
■ Senior Deputy Executive Secretary Jose Amor Amorado and Mayor Sultan Tupaan Disomimba (third and fourth from right), together with engineer Hassan Garcia (third from left), the bride’s father, former Human Rights Commissioner Nasser Marohomsalic (fourth from left), and Sultan Ali Marohomsalic Balindong (extreme right).
father and the groom, the latter had to fetch the bride from where she was waiting, passing over a red carpet, and finally bringing her to the colorful gazebo that was specially designed for the occasion. Finally, Nash and Allan were in front of their parents, relatives and friends. One by one, the principal sponsors gave the bride and groom words of wisdom on how to keep their marriage strong and harmoni- ous, wishing their bond to last for all eternity. And then, just like any other modern day wedding, Nash and Allan infused some western traditions, including the cake ceremony and tossing of the bouquet.
The ‘kulintang’ at the banquet It is interesting to note that whether a
wedding reception is held in the province or a city, the guests of a Maranao wedding would always be treated to cultural extravaganzas. The usual highlight is the music from the kulintang, via a percussionist ensemble that is common to Muslim tribes in the Southern Philippines, played throughout the banquet. Indeed, the Gandamasir-Marohomsalic nuptial was a once-in-a-life time experi- ence, especially for the non-Muslim guests. From beginning to end, it was a feast for the senses, as well as the emotions, as the symbolic olden practices of our Muslim brothers flourished in this day and age.
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