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2006-01-13 Southeast Asia

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Posted by Fred 2006-01-13 00:00|| || Front Page|| [4 views since 2007-05-07] Top

#1 If he and his brother Andy were walking home, he doesn't sound like your run-of-the-mill Muslim potentate...

They were walking through Sultan Whosis Town. I read that as along the lines of Versailles. In other words, they were strolling around their property of an evening, possibly going to pick up the evening newspaper the paperboy tossed onto the bottom of the driveway (because his throwing arm wasn't strong enough to get it onto the front porch). For perspective, a few years ago I joined Mr. Wife at a company offsite meeting in Malaysia -- in Kuantan, where one of their sultans lives. A sister of the sultan lived down the street from the palace, in a nicely finished, possibly 1000 square foot house on stilts, with naked toddlers and chickens running through the bare dirt front yard (I've seen proper English gardens -- this was not one). The sultan's palace itself, seen through the wrought iron gate, wasn't honestly much bigger than the house of the retired CEO of Mr. Wife's employer, and the grounds didn't appear as extensive as the property on which the trailing daughters' elementary school was built (something under 20 acres), into which was fitted the quarter mile of train track for the sultan's pet railroad, and the substantial stables. I think most sultans and such-like potentates are not fabulously wealthy as portrayed in the storybooks, despite having life and death power over their subjects. Owning the entire substance of some villages of farmers, fishermen, and hunters-in-the-jungle is not like having a controlling share in Microsoft, or in a couple of oil wells.

Posted by trailing wife 2006-01-13 08:03|| 2006-01-13 08:03|| Front Page Top

#2 Here is more information about the sultan's region, gleaned from Living in the Phillipines (the CIA Factbook had nothing useful, at first glance):

MAGUINDANAO
The province of Cotabato, which used to be the largest province in the Philippines, was divided into three provinces on November 22, 1973 by Presidential Decree 341. One of these new provinces was Maguindanao. The province of Maguindanao is supposed to be the home for the Muslim Maguindanaos also called the âPeople of the foot plainsâ, because of the rich fertile river valleys where they have settled. The Maguindanaos, who survive on agriculture, fishing and weaving, are known to be the largest group of Muslims in the south. Other major tribes which have settled in the area are the Muslim Iranons and the animistic Tirurays.
Former Name: None
Land Area: 5,474.1 square kilometers
Capital: Maganoy
Population: 536,546 (1980)
Principal Dialects: Maguindanao, Hiligaynon, Cebuano and Tiruray
Income Classification: Fourth Class Province
No. of Cities: 1 (Cotabato)
No. of Municipalities: 17 (Ampatuan, Barira, Buldon, Buluan, Datu Paglas, Datu Piang, Dinaig, Kabuntalan, Maganoy, Matanog, Pagalungan, Parang, South Upi, Sultan Kudarat, Sultan sa Barongis, Talayan, and Upi)
No. of Municipal Districts: None
Topography: At the center area of the old Cotabato Province is a large river valley traversed by the tributaries of Mindanao River. Maguindanao is a large lowland of Mindanao.
No. of Principal Rivers: 1 (Mindanao)
No. of Mountains: 2
Climate: Characterized by a more or less even distribution of rainfall throughout the year, the coldest months in the province are December and January. The warm season is from March to June.
Average Annual Rainfall: 34.35 inches
Principal products/crops: Rice, corn, peanuts, vegetables and fruits
Industries: Hog and poultry raising, fishing and logging
Mineral Resources: Copper
Forest Resources: Timber
Tourist Attractions: Cotabato City
Governor: Zacaria Candao
Congressmen: Michael O. Mastura, Guimid Matalam

Posted by trailing wife 2006-01-13 08:18|| 2006-01-13 08:18|| Front Page Top

#3 TW eegcellent!!

Posted by Red Dog 2006-01-13 09:19|| 2006-01-13 09:19|| Front Page Top

#4 ..not only was it enjoyably eegcellent, it was also eggcellent! :)

Posted by Red Dog 2006-01-13 09:22|| 2006-01-13 09:22|| Front Page Top

#5 into which was fitted the quarter mile of train track for the sultan's pet railroad, and the substantial stables.

He liked trains and horses? Now I am pissed.

Posted by Besoeker 2006-01-13 09:49|| 2006-01-13 09:49|| Front Page Top

#6 Cotabato and the area aroud it is controlled by MILF. Just north of Cotabato is the JI camps we read about here on RB. My friends there relayed it was a tribal issue that got him killed. He was a lot like father Nacrda on Basilan island, always preaching peacefull coexistance. From what I hear Datu was one of the good guys there.

Posted by 49 Pan">49 Pan 2006-01-13 10:26|| 2006-01-13 10:26|| Front Page Top

#7 Gosh, thanks, Red Dog! Now I can have my brain scanned while eating eggs -- life is good. ;-)

Posted by trailing wife 2006-01-13 11:49|| 2006-01-13 11:49|| Front Page Top

#8 Industries: Hog and poultry raising
I take it the animistic Tirurays raise the hogs?

Posted by 3dc 2006-01-13 13:32|| 2006-01-13 13:32|| Front Page Top

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