A. Paulita Roa AS a young girl, I was often puzzled each time I hear people in Manila refer to Mindanao as a very far place. Why was it far when it was not difficult for me to travel to Manila from our island? It reminded me of a friend who as a teenager was sent by his parents to study in Ateneo de Cagayan in the 1950s. He told me that upon arriving in Lumbia Airport from Manila, his heart sank. He was teary eyed when he saw hills and more hills with no house in sight when he was on his way to the city. It was only when the car reached Carmen and then crossed  the bridge when he saw the St. Agustine Cathedral that he felt so relieved. But that was not the end of his fears,for this Manila boy was bombarded with advice by well meaning relatives and friends on how to stay safe while in Mindanao and the kind of people that lived there  - most of which were negative to say the least. Hundreds of years ago, Mindanao was known as “Mintolang” based on a 1349 Chinese document. Many rulers of the mini-states in the island already traveled to the Imperial Court of China on tribute missions and were honored by the Emperor himself.The Mindanaoans were also around Southeast Asia  and were engaged in trading and even in the shipping business. The export trade at that time included pearls, beeswax, tortoise shell, betelnuts, forest products like hardwood and animal hides, cotton, hemp and corals. When the Spaniards first came to Mindanao, they saw fertile valleys, rich forest products and game and gold. The natural wealth of the island and the prosperity of the people were one of the compelling reasons why Spain wanted to colonize it. In order to have an idea of the riches of prehispanic Mindanao, I suggest that you view the fabulous exhibits at the Ayala Museum and the Metropolitan Museum of Manila where exquisite gold belts, necklaces, pendants, bracelets,earrings and rings are on permanent display. However, it took more than 20 years after the death of Ferdinand Magellan for a Spanish expedition headed by Ruy Lopez de Villalobos to go and explore Mindanao. The expedition was marked with hardships, hostilities from the native warriors and tragedy.Villalobos lost most of his men, some of his boats were stolen, there were times when they experienced starvation and finally, he died a broken man. It was to be a portent of what was to come--Spain only gained a small foothold in Mindanao throughout her 333 years of colonial rule in the Philippines. It was at the northern and eastern coast of Mindanao--from Surigao in the east to Sindangan Bay in the west that the Spanish missionaries founded towns and placed them under colonial authority. It helped enormously that they were able to communicate well with the people in Cebuano for this area was for over a thousand years, part of the Visayan homeland. This was where the Spanish colonial government had the longest contact and the greatest influence. It is evidenced by the many Castillan words found in our everyday language like puerta (door), la mesa (table), retrato (picture) and so on. However, a big part of Mindanao was not under the control of the Spaniards for the Muslims fiercely resisted them and many lumad tribes retreated deeper in to the forests, refusing to lived in the new towns and adapting to a new religion. In fact, all of the island was a militarized zone Like the Segundo Distrito de Mindanao or the Misamis Province with Cagayan de Misamis as the capital--it was always governed by a  military governor. Even the priests led military assaults against the Muslims or took charge in defending the towns. The Muslim-Christian conflict was ignited in the 1620s by the Spanish missionaries. Because all of Mindanao was not fully pacified, the colonial government never showed interest to develop it. This could be the start of the aberrant attitude of the high colonial officials ensconced in Manila that subsequently led to the neglect of the island. Gone was the glory of Mindanao and the Spanish period was more of the dark ages of the once prosperous island. It became the dumping ground of Luzon’s unsavory characters like prostitutes and criminals and a place of exile for Dr. Jose P. Rizal. A place for exile is usually an isolated and sometimes barren area, far from the comfortable amenities of a city or town. The Spaniards’ choice of Dapitan as a place of exile for Rizal showed their low regard of Mindanao as some kind of a far country. But it all changed when Rizal was executed and the forces of history brought the big changes around the country particularly in the island. Fast forward--we have come a long way O Mindanao! From the much touted “Land of Promise” that more or less were nothing more than empty promises by Imperial Manila, we have risen like a phoenix from the ashes of neglect and despair. We are not a far country anymore. Soon, distinguished Mindanaoan, Rodrigo Roa Duterte, will take his oath as the 16th President of the Philippine Republic. The future indeed looks bright for the land and the people.