Zamzamin Ampatuan

Datu Zamzamin Ampatuan is a career bureaucrat in the Philippines.^[1] He is a descendant of Shariff Ampatuan, grandson of Syedona Mustafa, a Sufi missionary, which propagated moderate Islam in the Upper Cotabato Valley of Southern Philippines. However rooted in spiritual and ethical traditions, the public image of the Ampatuan clan, to which Datu Zamzamin belonged, was tainted by the infamous 11/23 Massacre at Masalay, Ampatuan, Maguindanao. Authorities pointed to Andal Ampatuan Jr. a.ka. "Datu Unsay", as the culprit. Datu Unsay's brothers and father, Datu Andal Ampatuan, were detained when Martial Law briefly took effect in Maguindanao as an aftermath of the 11/23 Massacre. Datu Zamzamin have helped tone down the tension by helping convince Datu Unsay to submit to due process of law. He also provided advise to government authorities on how to handle the post-massacre situation to ease the impact on the lives of ordinary people in Maguindanao.

Datu Zamzamin, a Civil Engineer by profession and the first Muslim Filipino who have attained the highest rank in the Philippine Civil Service, held various posts as Undersecretary. He once headed the premier national agency attending to Muslim Affairs where he gained prominence as a credible public servant and as a leader of Muslims in the Philippines. Datu Zamzamin became a cabinet member of President Gloria Arroyo being the Lead Convenor of the National Anti-Poverty Commission. He moved back to career positions such as Undersecretary of Agrarian Reform and Energy. In between, he was Chief Executive Officer of government corporations such as Southern Philippines Development Authority and the Strategic Investments Development Corporation.

Before joining national government, Datu Zamzamin served in international organizations. In 1998, he was Programme Manager of the United Nations Multi-Donor Programme for the Southern Philippines Zone of Peace and Development. Thereafter, he served as Training Expert for the post-conflict project of the International Labour Organization to help former combatants of the Moro National Liberation Front. He represented the Philippines at the UNESCAP Committee on Poverty where he served as Chair for a one-year term. He has helped promote in Central Asian countries, the use of Community Based Monitoring System, a poverty tracking tool.

In the National Elections of 2010, Datu Zamzamin tried his luck in politics having accepted the nomination of a party list for indigenous peoples but the votes garnered is short of required minimum for a seat in the House of Representatives. He is now doing a basic role as Community Leader and Development Advocate for indigenous peoples in Mindanao. True to his Sufi roots, he is a self-taught expert on Islamic Spirituality and Indigenous Muslim Traditions.

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