Life changing moments come at the least expected time. For Abdulkarim Langkuno, not only did this come unexpectedly – but also at a very young age.
Langkuno – who is now mayor of Paglat town in the province of Maguindanao – recalls how he was forced to run away from home at a tender age of 17 to escape aggressive recruitment efforts at that time for young Mindanaoans to join the armed
struggleagainst the government.
“It was 1973 and I just graduated from high school. The MNLF (Moro National Liberation Front) was convincing by force many young people like myself to join their ranks – most especially bright minds whom they could train,” Langkuno says.
“They wanted to train me to become a medical aide for the MNLF. But I did not want to join the armed struggle at that very young age, so I decided to run away.”
With P350 in his pocket for selling his carabao, the young Langkuno followed a river trail along the Liguasan marsh and walked three days and two nights – or about 180 kilometers – from Buluan to Cotabato City where he bought a one-way ticket to Manila by boat.
“After arriving in Cotabato City, I bought a ticket for MV Visayas which will bring me to Manila where a distant relative – whom I earlier sent a telegram – was to meet me once I arrive at the pier,” Langkuno says.
When the ship finally docked in Manila, the young Langkuno went to the ship’s viewing deck to spot his cousin. He waited until the crowd thinned; his cousin was nowhere in sight. Left with nothing but his wits, he decided to venture out on his own in search for his relative’s address written carefully on a small piece of paper.
It was only that night when he finally got together with his cousin who was deployed to another area just a week before, leaving no time for him to inform his arriving relative.
The young Langkuno found a way to study and work at the same time, and finished a five-year engineering course in just four-and-a-half years. After gaining experience in his field working for the Department of Public Works and Highways and Ayala Corp., he flew to the Middle East in search for “greener pastures.”
“I worked there for 16 years and became chief of the Engineering Department of Jedah’s Ministry of Agriculture. In 1996, after the peace agreement was signed between the government and MNLF, I was persuaded by Misuari to come home and file my candidacy as assemblyman – a position which I occupied for two terms,” Langkuno shares.
As assembly man, he filed the bill creating Paglat (formerly a part of SK Pendatun) as a separate municipality in Maguindanao. Little did he know then that he would later lead the town he created, becoming its Mayor in 2004.
While Langkuno gracefully transformed from a troubled youth to a successful career man, not many young Mindanaoans are as fortunate as him. Fighting between government troops, poverty, and other factors have forced not a few students to drop out of school in past years, leaving them vulnerable to recruitment by rebels and criminal groups.
So when he was elected Paglat mayor in 2004, one of the main thrusts of his administration was to help bring out-of-school youth (OSY) back into mainstream learning institutions, and provide livelihood and employment opportunities for them.
“I want them to have more options than I had as a youth, especially since OSYs are very much vulnerable to be recruited by rebel groups or some criminal groups… I don’t want Paglat out-of-school youth to experience what I had to go through. I want them to be productive,” Langkuno says.
Believing in the immense power of education in reversing poverty, Langkuno says he has implemented programs designed to make education more accessible to Paglat youth.
“Before I assumed office, there were no high schools in our town; now, we have two. Before, there were only two elementary schools; now, we have six. Before, there were no primary schools, now we have five in different sitios. Before, there were no day care centers; now, we have one in every barangay and all the teachers – numbering more than 80 – is paid by the local government.”
One of the programs that have yielded numerous benefits for Paglat residents is the basic literacy and livelihood training for OSYs which Langkuno started in 2004 under the EQuALLS2 Project, a joint undertaking between the Philippine government and the USAID. Under the program, OSYs undergo basic literacy instruction in Science, Math, and English.
In partnership with partners and donors including the USAID, Notre Dame University, TESDA, Synergeia Foundation, and the Consuelo Foundation, the local government successfully set up alternative learning centers in every barangay offering basic literacy courses for the town’s OSYs.
“We focused on giving our OSYs basic literacy first before training them in livelihood skills such as automotive mechanic, food processing, or carpentry. They can better learn the skill if they are able to follow the instructions. And even if they got a certificate from a vocational course, they will find it hard to get employed if they don’t have basic literacy skills,” Langkuno says.
“After teaching them basic literacy, then we teach them vocational skills such as auto diesel mechanic, air-con repair, electrical wiring, carpentry, etc. And we also help them get employment. Being one of the Board of Governors of the Association of Middle East Manpower Agencies – a group of recruitment agencies catering to the Middle East market – I am able to use that network to find employment for our graduates,” he adds.
Today, more than 180 students have graduated from vocational courses and are either employed locally or abroad, or have started their own business using their newly acquired skills. And only a few years since he started this program, Langkuno says his town is already feeling the benefits of a more educated population.
“Bumabalik na yung investments ko in education sa local economy. Graduates of our OSY program have started sending money to their families here, and we’re seeing their houses being repaired, their siblings being sent to school, and the lives of our people improve,” Langkuno says.
“I’m really happy. Thanks to God, I’m able to give something to our people.”
But Langkuno has bigger dreams for the youth of Paglat. “Our next step is to get accreditation for our training center and transform it into a regular vocational school. We’re now talking with TESDA and Notre Dame University with the help of Synergeia Foundation so we can be accredited as a satellite school of Notre Dame specializing in vocational courses,” he says.
"My vision for Paglas is that by 2015, at every family is able to send a child to college. I want every family to have at least one degree holder."
By making quality education accessible to Paglat youth, Langkuno is taking away his people’s reasons to take up arms just to bring food on the table. More importantly, he is giving a whole new generation of young Mindanaoans the productive skills they need to get a real fighting chance at life.
