The Mountains of Malabang
Though what has been called the Malabang Rebellion has been waging, by official records, off and on for the past ten years, in the reckoning of the locals, it has been waging for the past two hundred years, ever since the Mayaland backed Rajahnate of Butuan defeated the Sultan of Malabang and laid claim to the island. Though over the years, the main island, having come heavily under the influence of Mayaland, slowly converted to Christianity, the Malabang remained mostly muslim which caused constant tension and many instances of conflict as the Moors of Malabang attempted several times to break away from Butuan.
Though it had been Islam that had sustained the cause of resistance for the better part of two hundred years, it was communism that reignited the insurrection in Malabang as a charismatic man by the name of Muhammad Dipatuan Qudratullah Nasiruddin was able to unite the disadvantaged and discriminated against Moors to once again to rise up against the Butuanese and their Mayaland masters as he led the Malabang Revolutionary Army for the past ten years.
Muhammad Dipatuan Qudratullah Nasiruddin, or simply Colonel Qudarat as he is referred to, was born in town of Jolo on the island of Malabang, but at age of seven, his family moved to Kilkila, Vangala, where he received his education and indoctrination into Communism. It was this Vangalan education, military training and contacts that now serves the forty-six year old Qudarat in his efforts to bring freedom to his people and advance the causes of the Revolution.
In a makeshift headquarters in cave in the mountain region of Malabang, Colonel Qudarat had just received bad and then even worse news. The bad news was, though many around him would have thought it would have been considered good news, was the Butuan agent that had been feeding the government information about incoming arms shipments has been discovered and executed, the bad news was that they executed him before any information could be obtained from him. The worse news was that the agent wasn't discovered before he passed on the information of the latest shipment of arms from Vangala, as the fishing trawler bringing the shipment in was sunk by a Butuan gunboat. Just more in the long chain of setbacks the MRA has been experiencing for the past year, and Qudarat fears the Revolution may not survive through the coming year if he is not able to turn things around.
How he is going to turn things around is the question. Though those that follow him, are full of the fervor, they are not what would be called well educated. They are mostly the young from the poor villages of the highlands and along the western coast, who are easily recruited, and if properly led, are capable, but over the years, those Qudarat had relied on have been lost to the conflict and their replacements, as the execution of the Butuan agent will testify, can be more of a liability than an asset. Though Qudarat does not have trouble asking for supplies from countries like Vangala, he is reluctant to ask for personnel, as such troops, if and when, discovered, may escalate things out of control, but he just may have no choice.
Though what has been called the Malabang Rebellion has been waging, by official records, off and on for the past ten years, in the reckoning of the locals, it has been waging for the past two hundred years, ever since the Mayaland backed Rajahnate of Butuan defeated the Sultan of Malabang and laid claim to the island. Though over the years, the main island, having come heavily under the influence of Mayaland, slowly converted to Christianity, the Malabang remained mostly muslim which caused constant tension and many instances of conflict as the Moors of Malabang attempted several times to break away from Butuan.
Though it had been Islam that had sustained the cause of resistance for the better part of two hundred years, it was communism that reignited the insurrection in Malabang as a charismatic man by the name of Muhammad Dipatuan Qudratullah Nasiruddin was able to unite the disadvantaged and discriminated against Moors to once again to rise up against the Butuanese and their Mayaland masters as he led the Malabang Revolutionary Army for the past ten years.
Muhammad Dipatuan Qudratullah Nasiruddin, or simply Colonel Qudarat as he is referred to, was born in town of Jolo on the island of Malabang, but at age of seven, his family moved to Kilkila, Vangala, where he received his education and indoctrination into Communism. It was this Vangalan education, military training and contacts that now serves the forty-six year old Qudarat in his efforts to bring freedom to his people and advance the causes of the Revolution.
In a makeshift headquarters in cave in the mountain region of Malabang, Colonel Qudarat had just received bad and then even worse news. The bad news was, though many around him would have thought it would have been considered good news, was the Butuan agent that had been feeding the government information about incoming arms shipments has been discovered and executed, the bad news was that they executed him before any information could be obtained from him. The worse news was that the agent wasn't discovered before he passed on the information of the latest shipment of arms from Vangala, as the fishing trawler bringing the shipment in was sunk by a Butuan gunboat. Just more in the long chain of setbacks the MRA has been experiencing for the past year, and Qudarat fears the Revolution may not survive through the coming year if he is not able to turn things around.
How he is going to turn things around is the question. Though those that follow him, are full of the fervor, they are not what would be called well educated. They are mostly the young from the poor villages of the highlands and along the western coast, who are easily recruited, and if properly led, are capable, but over the years, those Qudarat had relied on have been lost to the conflict and their replacements, as the execution of the Butuan agent will testify, can be more of a liability than an asset. Though Qudarat does not have trouble asking for supplies from countries like Vangala, he is reluctant to ask for personnel, as such troops, if and when, discovered, may escalate things out of control, but he just may have no choice.