Marawi City, Lanao del Sur

With these photos I have taken, I know that I have immortalized what the former Marawi City looked like before its demise. And what’s the most unforgettable thing I experienced when I went here? I hired a tricycle driver who took me to the mosques and the locals were wary of me as they kept asking him who I am while I was taking photos. They probably thought I’m an intruder because I was wearing shorts when I entered the mosques. Boy did I feel so mortified. My apologies. It’s funny that my guide had to fabricate a story that I am a relative of the incumbent president of the country who was just touring around the city.

My solo visit to Marawi transpired months before it became a battlefield during the government’s war against the terrorists to take the city back. When someone asks me why I went to Marawi, my quick response is always, “why not”. It’s not really much of a big deal. What’s wrong with it anyway? As a risk-taker and a free spirit like Peter Pan, what could possibly happen right? I have always been living up to what my high school teacher told me when I was young. Live today as if it’s your last. If something bad happens and it’s your time to go, so be it.

Just like my visit in Maguindanao during my solo backpacking in July 2016, I had to admit that I felt nervous when I arrived in Marawi in October of 2016. I don’t want to be a hypocrite. I was somehow scared and that is the truth. Just like my trip in Basilan and Maguindanao, I only told my parents about my visit in Marawi after I already got back in Manila. I didn’t want them to worry because my parents assume right away that something unfortunate is going to happen to me whenever I’m traveling.

It broke my heart after I saw online the pictures of the aftermath. The siege has levelled this once-proud Islamic city. I’m glad that it has finally been recovered by our troops from the terrorists and the city is now undergoing rehabilitation. Salute to all the people who sacrificed their lives in order to take the city back from the hands of the enemies.

LANAO DEL SUR [Marawi City]

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