“Maranao are a proud Bangsa (race or nation). In their veins run the maharlika blood of their ancestors who valiantly gave their life, so that their treasured culture will remain uncorrupted and unadulterated.

No kidding! A woman is to be crowned “Sultan a Bae a Gaus. First Female Sultan & Queen of Power of Mindanao, Sulu & Palawan & Ambassador of the Union of Royal Houses of Mindanao & LAMUSPROF.” Whew! Super titles unheard of before to be bestowed by alleged royalties, and Lamusprof, a dormant social fraternity of which I am a member. (Lawyer Bayan Balt asks, Is Lamusprof vested with such authority?) My son, Amor, thought it might get the goat of the religious preacher who claims to be Appointed Son of God and Owner of the Universe. I nearly fell off my chair.

That kept me thinking about the propriety of bestowing honorary titles of nobility to non-natives.

My eldest son, Maclin, who is the reigning Sultan A Dimasangkay sa Dansalan (old name of Marawi) felt umbrage about the practice. He pointed out emphatically and rightly so that the practice has bastardized the respect, dignity and nobility accorded to these positions, just as it has violated the beautiful and rich culture of the Maranaos.

The Federation of Women Royalty of Lanao (FWRL) appealed to “whoever behind this, please stop this kind of practice,” and they lament, “Where is our taritib and ijma (customs and traditions)?” The honorary title is a quid pro quo to the altruism and material assistance of the donor-awardee. But the FWRL counseled that it should not come at the expense of our treasured customs. In a strongly-worded resolution, they opposed and denounced the grant. Paging the Federation of Lanao Sultans, your silence is deafening.

The Sangguniang Panglungsod of Marawi has a subtle way of preventing the coronation. It passed a resoution declaring the honoree persona non grata. How can she now go to Marawi if she is not welcome there? If the sponsors have a bit of shame, they should put a brake to it.

Other Maranao professionals had a mouthful, expressing disdain over the practice of casual and indiscriminate granting of cultural titles, never mind that it is only an honorary title. Holders of these titles are now dime a dozen.

The Maranao is a proud Bangsa (race or nation). In their veins run the maharlika blood of their ancestors who valiantly gave their lives, so that their treasured culture will remain uncorrupted and unadulterated. Tales of their epic battle and martyrdom against foreign domination to protect their religion, social nobility, and culture, replete history books and sung in kirims, melodic chanting of folklores. Anything that will trivialize and desecrate the nobility and prestige of their cherished tradition deserves condemnation.

The granting of these prestigious titles of power undergoes strict process through “salsila” or tracing of genealogy to determine royalty. The claimant must go through strict vetting and secure the assent of the so-called 28-member Legislative Assembly, referred to as “Babaya ko Taritib” or Keepers of Tradition. The crowning ceremony is attended by Sultans of the “16 Panoroganans” or royal houses and the “Pat-A-Pangampong ko Ranao” or four principalities of Lanao. The process is tedious to guard against pretenders to the title.

Adverse claimants are unavoidable especially in a big family. If the integrity of the process is tainted, it triggers rido or a family feud and sometimes fratricide.

The Maranaos should take a leaf from what the Tausugs did when they denounced as “fake” the title of datu bestowed to a screen actor of a primetime long-running television series. No sooner than his coronation came, the report that the Royal House of Sulu Chancery denounced the grantor of the title as “false pretenders,” “commoners with no royal blood.” And recently, they rejected the grant of “fake” titles to the same lady now to be crowned by the Maranaos as “Sultana.” They stingingly branded the title as “un-Islamic” and haram.

The corruption of these long-respected values and customs is perhaps one of the reasons for the “curse” and Sodom and Gomorrah-like destruction that flattened Marawi into ruins. It is the desecration of these values and customs that the law of murka or karma punished the Maranaos.

My take? Somebody should file ASAP a civil case with prayer for an injunctive relief of temporary restraining order or SQA before the court to stop the coronation. Grounds? It is an affront on our cultural values and will inflict irreparable damage on our traditions. The controversy, by jurisprudence, is actionable and justiciable in courts. Let us put to good use the talent and brilliance of the members of the Integrated Bar of the Philippines-Lanao Sur.