Speech of Prof. Nur Misuari
During the Opening of the ARMM Games ( Palaro) 2000 in Jolo, Sulu
on February 27, 2000

I would like to begin my address by joining my brother Gov. Sakur Tan in extending warm welcome to all athletes coming from the four provinces of ARMM who are participating in this ARMMA’ Palaro 2000. And also I would like in behalf of the ARMM officialdom and in behalf of all of you, our people in the four provinces to convey our congratulations to our dear brother governor for his outstanding achievement in producing, for such a short of time this wonderful athletic ground.

            Because we are now _____ against time and the climate is so ______ is not so cooperating with us. So I will not prolong my address to prevent our children and our pupils and students from getting sick. I would just like to advise everyone who’s exposed to this climate, you know when you return home, try to take some water, the normal water that you drink at home because the old people everytime they would advise us, when you are exposed to this kind of climate when you return home they will tell you, drink some water, the normal water you drink at home. They said this is anting-anting against any kind of sickness.

            For the second place, I would like to ask and to advise everyone specially those from the province of Sulu to extend your warm welcome to all your brothers coming from Maguindanao province, from Lanao del Sur, from Tawi-Tawi and from all parts of Mindanao participating here in this game. Welcome them just as they welcome you when you visited their provinces to join this ARMMA Palaro. Make them feel comfortable. Offer them the best charm and the best smile and give them the necessary protection.

            And I would like to call on our brothers who are listening, I wish we had a transmision here, a live transmision. I would like everyone to extend the necessary security and protection to our guests here, MNLF everywhere are oblidged to extend the necessary protection in cooperation with the PNP and AFP in this province. And we would like to assure our brothers that we will do everything to make their stay here comfortable. And the most importantly is for our children and students, young and old, men and women to understand that athletic is a part of their education. You have to develop your health through athletic. Through athletic you gain some kind of discipline. Through athletic you gain physical stamina and not only physical stamina but you gain also spiritual stamina. Both of which are necessary if you are to succeed in your future profession.

            As a matter of fact athletic itself is now considered as one of the biggest industries in the world. Among the biggest earners of money in the world are athletes, basketball, football and so on and so forth. And I would like to join my brother, the governor in saying that we in the province of Sulu, as a matter of fact we in the ARMM, and in Mindanao at large are capable of excelling in sportsmanship. I was told awhile ago that last December there was a national competition (I don’t know where it was held, maybe in Luzon) the province sent 30 athletes then they came back with 8 gold medals, only 30. And of course before, we used to excel even in the Olympics and  in the ASEAN games. I would also like to reveal to you a small secret, MNLF, when they engage in competition, shooting compitition with their friends from Asia, from Africa, from Latin America, from Europe and even from  the Pacific, we all noticed, we used to garner the first 10 prizes in all the shooting competitions. That shows our potentials. And this was not only once, this was done many many times and as a matter of fact we can assure you, we can repeat this time and again. And we will run away with all the prizes. This is in shooting competition. I think we can also excel in other parts of our lives, our endeavor. I understand in Sabah, Malaysia, our children are excelling in their schooling. They can even beat their Chinese peers and also even in business. I understand, the Chinese businessmen are saying, the only people capable of competing with them are our businessmen from Sulu, Tawi-Tawi, Zamboanga and so on and so forth. So in all aspect, rather in many aspects of our lives we can excel, we must excel. We used to remember in the past as early as 15^th  century, the Bangsamoro nation, the Bangsamoro people used to be considered by no less than the reigning emperor of China as the Master of the East. That shows the kind of quality that we have, the kind of quality that we posses. There is a mausoleum in _______ province in China, the mausoleum of one of our Sultans who died on his way to Beijing. After speaking with his audience with the Emperor of China, he returned back while negotiating the distance between Beijing and the coastal part of South China, he died. Members of his family remained there until now, there are more than 5000 families in _______ province who traced their origin to Sulu. They come from the Royal family of Sulu. Now, _______ there is a mausoleum, a beautiful and big one and there is an epitaph written by no less than the Emperor, the hand writing of the Emperor of China saying that “He was a brave King, He was the Master of the East.” _______________________ ayaw n’yo kalupai that time in your life in the 15^th century, you were considered, you used to be respected as the Master of the East. Wayroon pa _______in Malaysia, way pa in Indonesia, way pa in mga ______________________________

            I would like to advise our children and students who are involved here not to forget that athletic is just a mean towards our end. And don’t overlook the importance of unification. (spoke in Tausog)

            Kayong mga kapatid namin, sana itong mga ahtletic activities na ito ay gagawin ninyo na tinatawag nating instrument towards a better end. Magpalakas ng inyong mga katawan at saka spirit up at magkaroon tayo nang discipline. The theme of this ARMMA Palaro 2000 is “to achieve excellence in sports through sportsmanship through unity and through discipline.”  So without unity, without discipline you can not achieve excellence in sports. So I will not prolong my message anymore. Allow me to congratulate all of those distinguished leaders of the athletes coming from different places, our educators and so on and so forth for hardwork they have done. And above all, our congratulations once again to our governor for this brilliant achievement. And of course, our very energetic and very brilliant superintendent of school Dr. _________. With this, brothers and sisters, Assalamu alaikum warahmatullahi Taala wabarakatuhu.