Domocao Alonto

Ahmad Domocao "Domi" A. Alonto (August 1, 1914 – December 11, 2002) was a Filipino lawyer, author, and Islamic figure who served as Senator of the Philippines.[1][2]

The Honorable

Domocao Alonto
Senator of the Philippines
In office
January 27, 1956 – December 13, 1961
Representative, Lanao del Sur
In office
January 25, 1954 – November 8, 1955
Personal details
Born
Ahmad Domocao A. Alonto

(1914-08-01) August 1, 1914
Ditsaan-Ramain, Mindanao and Sulu, Philippine Islands
DiedDecember 11, 2002(2002-12-11) (aged 88)
Political partyNacionalista Party
EducationUniversity of the Philippines

Early life and education

He was born in Ditsaan-Ramain, Lanao del Sur on August 1, 1914. His father, Sultan Alauya Alonto, served three terms in the Senate of the Philippines.[3] His father was known as a collaborator during the Japanese occupation.[4] Among his siblings are former Governor, Commissioner, and Ambassador Abdul Gafur Madki Alonto and former Governor Princess Tarhata Alonto Lucman.[5]

Alonto finished his BA and Doctorate degrees in Law from the University of the Philippines, where he was a member of the Upsilon Sigma Phi fraternity.[2]

Political career

Congress

Alonto was first elected representative of Lanao del Sur in 1953. During his term in the House of Representatives, he chaired a special committee that worked on the solution to the so-called "Mindanao Problem". In 1954, he founded the Mindanao Islamic University (Jāmīatu al-Fīlībbīn al-Islāmi), the first Islamic university in the Philippine archipelago.

In 1955, he was elected into the Senate of the Philippines under the Nacionalista Party. During his term in the Senate, he authored a bill creating the Mindanao Development Authority; the law establishing the Mindanao State University; the law providing for more autonomous local governments in relatively backward rural areas; and the law creating the Commission on National Integration. An advocate for the passage of nationalization laws, Alonto co-authored the retail trade nationalization law and opposed its repeal.[3] Alonto also amended the Civil Service Law of 1959, recognizing the Islamic holidays ‘Īid al-Fitr and ‘Īid al-Adhā.[6]

Constitutional Conventions

Alonto represented Lanao del Sur during the 1971 Constitutional Convention.[3]

Alonto then served as Assistant Floor Leader for the 1987 Constitutional Commission. He proposed the addition of the Autonomous Region of Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) in the 1987 Constitution of the Philippines.[6]

Death

Alonto died on December 11, 2002.[1]

Legacy
Mindanao State University was established through the law Alonto authored during his term in the Senate.

Alonto is known for his contributions to the spread and development of Islamic thought in the Philippines. He founded the Mindanao Islamic University which provides education for both Muslims and Christians. He also founded the Mindanao Mosque and Islamic Center, the largest of its kind in the Philippines, found in Binangonan, Rizal.[5]

He was a member of the Makkah-based World Muslim League, the Executive Council of the World Islamic Congress and the Central Council of the International Organization of Islamic Universities, and other Islamic organization based in the Philippines.[2] He is the only Filipino to receive the King Faisal Foundation Award for Service to Islam.[2]

It was his advocacy for Muslim recognition that inspired activists to form the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF).

His grandson, Adnan Villaluna Alonto, now serves as Ambassador to Saudi Arabia under the administration of Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte.[7][8]

References
  1. "Senators Profile: Domocao Alonto". Senate of the Philippines. 2020. Retrieved June 24, 2020. |first= missing |last= (help)
  2. "King Faisal Prize". Retrieved 2020-06-23.
  3. "Senators Profile: Alauya Alonto". Senate of the Philippines. Retrieved June 24, 2020. |first= missing |last= (help)
  4. McCoy, Alfred W. (2009). An Anarchy of Families: State and Family in the Philippines. Univ of Wisconsin Press. ISBN 978-0-299-22984-9.
  5. Madale, Abdullah T. (1997). The Maranaws, Dwellers of the Lake. Rex Bookstore, Inc. ISBN 978-971-23-2174-0.
  6. "The Contributions of Alonto to the Development Islamic Thought in the Philippines (1914-2002) : International Journal of Philosophy and Theology". ijptnet.com. Retrieved 2020-06-23.
  7. Arguillas, Carolyn O. (2017-04-28). "Maranao lawyer named Ambassador to Saudi Arabia, Yemen". MindaNews. Retrieved 2020-06-23.
  8. "ALONTO ASSUMES POST AS PHILIPPINE AMBASSADOR TO SAUDI ARABIA". Department of Foreign Affairs. 21 November 2017. Retrieved June 24, 2020. |first= missing |last= (help)
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