Assalaamu Alaykum! (Peace be upon you!)

Thank you for purchasing our Village Guide! Part of the

proceeds will go to various socio-civic projects of the

Young Moro Professionals Network and its partners.

This guide features some basic facts about the 2011 Eid’l

Fitr Festival and the Moros, our lands, culture and faith…

and many more!

Find time to read more about us. Make sure to visit the

five Peace Villages among the booths at the Music Hall so

that you can interact with us. It will build bridges of

understanding and peace.

What’s more, if you answer the quiz portions of this

guide, you gain the chance to win gifts from our sponsors.

All you have to do is to read and be oriented with the

rules to be provided at the Secretariat booth.

Thank You!

It is ideally a three-day Muslim holiday that marks the end

of Ramadan, the Islamic holy month of fasting (sawm). Eid

is an Arabic word meaning "festivity," while Fiṭr means

"original nature," implying the restoration of one's best

human composition.

The holiday celebrates the conclusion of the thirty days of

dawn-to-sunset fasting and participation in pious and

spiritual activities such as giving charity, active

peacemaking, and prolonged prayers during the entire

month of Ramadan.

In the Philippines, Eid’l Fitr is a regular holiday, pursuant

to Republic Act No. 9177. In line with this Republic Act,

President Benigno S. Aquino III proclaimed that August 30,

2011 as a regular non-working holiday.

Eid’’l Fitr

Anchored on the vision of forging strong partnership

between Muslims and non-Muslims and to project the

country as an alternative tourism destination, celebrating

the Eid’l Fitr has the potential to contribute to the

national economy.

Responding to this lacking, the Magbassa Kita Foundation,

Inc (MKFI) and the Philippine Center for Islam and

Democracy (PCID) has organized the 3-day Eid’l Fitr

Festival which is supported by the Department of Tourism

(DOT), Office of the Presidential Adviser for Peace Process

(OPAPP), SM Mall of Asia, the MMDA and the Metro Manila

Council (composed of Metro Manila Mayors).

The Festival is envisioned to subsequently become a

national tourism activity which hopefully will be part of

the economic agenda of the current administration.

The Eid’l Fitr Festival aims to achieve the following:

- Promote national unity, peace and harmony through

awareness and a better understanding of Filipino Muslim

cultural heritage;

- Underscore the fact that Muslim culture which is rich,

varied, diverse and exciting, is part of the Filipino

cultural heritage;

- Provide a venue for the orientation of tourist-oriented

industries on the needs of the Muslim tourists;

- Provide Muslims in Metro Manila a venue for

celebrating the Eid’l Fitr;

- Provide Muslim traders with a venue to showcase

Muslim products, i.e. pearls, fabrics, foods, etc.;

- Assist in the promotion of the tourism agenda of the

government;

- Help in building the image of the Philippines as a

Muslim-friendly country;

- Promote the Philippines as an alternative destination

for celebrating the Eid’l Fitr; and

- Promote a positive image of Muslims and Islam.

The Bangsamoro (Moro Nation)

Moro people refers to a population of Muslims in the

Philippines, forming the largest non-Christian group in

the country, comprising about 5% to 10% of the total

Philippine population.

The name Moro was given by the Spanish colonizers to

the Muslims in Mindanao whom they found to have the

same religion and way of life with the Muslims of North

Africa who ruled the Iberian Peninsula for centuries.

The Malay word bangsa, which means nation, was

prefixed to suggest distinct nationhood. The term has

find place in official documents of the Organization of

Islamic Conference and agreements between the

Government of the Republic of the Philippines (GRP)

and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF).

Bansga Moro

There are thirteen Moro ethnic groups, although other

smaller tribes are also called "Moro", as the majority of

their populations are also Muslims.

The tribes are:

1. Sangil

2. Sama

3. Palawani

4. M’ranaw

5. Maguindanaon

6. Iranun

7. Kalagan

8. Yakan

9. Badjao

10. Kalbugan

11. Jama Mapun

12. Malbog

13. Tausug

Bansga Moro

The Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM)

It is the region, located in the Mindanao island group of

the Philippines, that is composed of predominantly Muslim

provinces, namely: Basilan (except Isabela City), Lanao

del Sur, Maguindanao, Sulu and Tawi-Tawi. It is the only

region that has its own government. The regional capital

is at Cotabato City, although this city is outside of its

jurisdiction.

The Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao seeks to

fulfill only two general objectives: Development and

Peace for its 2.8 million people in the provinces of

Maguindanao, Lanao del Sur, Basilan, Sulu, Tawi-Tawi and

City of Marawi.

Take time to learn more about these provinces by visiting

our Peace Villages. Our booths offer a peek of what we

have in our native lands.

ARMM

Our Native Attires

We hope you also had time to discuss our native costumes

with the villagers. Let’s try matching them with their

respective provinces.

Master the

Map

Since you’ll be visiting us soon, it’s a great start to have

some knowledge of basic ARMM geography.

Try put stickers as answers to the blank labels below:

(Tip: ask help from our villages)