DAVAO ORIENTAL—The Provincial Governor’s Office has recently initiated a peace dialogue that hoped to settle a dispute between a private entity and the Barangay Government Unit in a Jama’ah Muslim Community in Barangay Surop, Governor Generoso.
The dialogue was initiated amid reports reaching the Governor’s Office that a bogus private organization has been recruiting members and collecting membership fees in exchange of promises of financial benefits.
Provincial Chief of Staff Ednar Dayanghirang, who facilitated the dialogue on April 17, said that a group called Royal Imperial Task Force (RITF) was reportedly persuading Muslims in the area to join them.
Based on reports, residents from Surop’s adjacent village, Tibanban, have also joined the group, including non-Muslims.
RITF leader Ustadz Bingcolan Maoquinto, during the dialogue, assured that the recruits will indeed receive monthly monetary and livelihood benefits.
“We are monitoring all activities here to ensure peace in our community. I have also seen that this is good for the people because there is livelihood program for them,” Maoquinto said.
Maoquinto further claimed that their group is a legitimate entity recognized by various national government agencies. However, he admitted that they are not registered at Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) as they “are not considered as organization but a government yet to be established.”
In an article published online at philexmainer.com, it was stated that “RITF is a recruiting arm of the Royal Imperial Lupah Sug Islamic United Kingdom of Sulu and North Borneo. It covers territorial domain and sovereign areas in Mindanao along with Sulu, Palawan, and other areas like Sabah, Sarawak, Kalimantan, and Bulungan. The Kingdom is founded by a certain King and Queen.”
Meanwhile, Dayanghirang urged Maoquinto to submit legal papers to the Barangay Council of Surop to be reviewed in the council’s session. He added that the dialogue will continue to further clarify the legality of RITF.
During the dialogue, Dayanghirang was joined by Sultan Alan Manuel of the Provincial Sultanate Office and the 28th Infantry Battalion’s new commander Lt. Col. Alexander Banatao.
