In the midst of observing Ramadan, a bit of news stirred the interest of Filipino Muslims. The President had appointed a new Secretary of the National Commission for Muslim Filipinos. This was a big deal for them. The NCMF is, after all, their official conduit to the national government in conveying their concerns and problems.

Speculation was rife that the President would make the appointment within the month of Holy Ramadan. Many applicants were qualified. In the end, tribal representation played a crucial role in the vetting. The President, for the first time, chose a Tausug (Sama), although living in a Sama community from the southernmost backdoor of the country, Tawi-Tawi, better known to folk singers as the land of “Baleleng.”

We trust that the vetting process was nothing short of scrupulous. There were many worthy applicants from the major tribes of the BARMM. However, the President appointed Sabuddin Abdurahim from Tawi-Tawi, the cradle of Islam, where the seed of the religion was first planted. We googled his name on the internet, but it was not very helpful. A friend of this columnist from Tawi-Tawi volunteered the information that he is an incumbent member of the Sangguniang Panlalawigan and a trusted political lieutenant and protege of Governor Ysmael “Mang” Sali, who sought the endorsement of other BARMM Governors. This briefly explains the dynamics of choosing a Muslim for appointment to a national position.

Sabuddin is a devout Muslim popularly known as a sheik, or leader of pilgrims, who led Muslims in their annual pilgrimage to Holy Mecca. We are not bothered by his bona fides or lack of them; we trust in the wisdom of the President to make his choice. This early, this column has no compunction about expressing support for the appointment.

The choice of Sabuddin interrupted the prolonged administration of the agency by a Maranaw. In fact, in terms of which tribe has served the longest as head of the office, the Maranaw is it.

The controversies that had always haunted the NCMF in the past — the reason for the rigodon of Secretaries at the agency — over the annual Haj pilgrimage led many people to believe the office was principally created to attend to the needs and problems of the Muslim pilgrims, which is wrong. Its mandate is more than that. Its myriad missions include promoting and protecting the interests of a member of society of a peculiar creed and culture.

It was not always this way. In fact, we miss the time when the agency, then called the Office of Muslim Affairs, was led by upright leaders like the late Romulo Espaldon and Muslim statesman Datu Michael “Mike” Mastura. They provided an able and moral leadership untainted by any speck of irregularity, nay, corruption. If memory serves us right, Datu Mike initiated the Tabung Haj project, a concept patterned after the practice in Malaysia and Indonesia to free Muslims from recurring haj problems.

The new leadership should take a second look at the concept.

But Sabuddin’s experience as a sheik will serve him well in carrying out his mandate. It will also come in handy in facing the problems of the pilgrims. His religiosity is definitely a plus factor.

We don’t need a lawyer or a PhD to solve the problems of the Haj. Their diploma is not an antidote to corruption. It’s a management and administration problem that needs only a ton of common sense coupled with integrity and dedication to serve and promote the Muslims’ and not one’s personal interest.

It embarrassed Filipino Muslims no end every time the NCMF landed in the media, not for any laudable accomplishment but for anomalies related to the management of the Haj pilgrimage or involvement in the Napoles scandal (remember?). Complaints of pilgrims being shortchanged in hotel accommodations, food, and transportation had sounded like a broken record. It had become a cycle, prompting solons to call for the deregulation of the pilgrimage, an idea long advocated by this column.

Meanwhile, let’s give Sabuddin a chance to prove his worth. Barely a month from now, the Haj pilgrimage season will start — his baptism of fire.

amb_mac_lanto@yahoo.com