About RFC

Profile of the Ranao Friday Club, Inc.

The Ranao Friday Club (RFC), Incorporated has come into existence basically to lend its hands in arresting the erosion of moral values, tested tradition, and established custom among M’ranaos of the Philippines. Expecting in return that the “people of the lake” can regain their pride, and the respect and admiration reposed on them by the Filipinos, Christians and Muslims alike.

The M’ranao image as peace-loving people, religious and hospitable, reputation, which becomes an envy of many has been severely shattered by misguided elements in their midst and by the prosperity of some to resort to the so-called “quick money” to improve their lots. Acts and activities which are taboo in Islam have been taken as feedbacks by the media to feed wrong and inaccurate reporting and news to the public, all in pursuit of sensationalism to gain a mileage in the competitive Philippine press.

Against this backdrop, talks among the M’ranaos of OMA on “doing something” to save the ship from eventual sinking have preoccupied their time and mind. They have harbored the idea to organize themselves into a group but has materialized only with the creation of the RFC.

Emergence/Creation

The RFC, Inc. has officially emerged on June 25, 2004 as an organization of the M’ranaos working in OMA.

Fourteen OMA personnel responded to the call by attending the first organizational meeting of June 25, 2004. Asked on the purpose of joining and their corresponding insight in the contemporary M’ranao society vis-à-vis with the glorious past of their forebears they gave expletives on the glorious days of the M’ranaos and caustic comments.

Address/SEC Approval

The RFC has been duly registered to the Securities and Exchange Commission last January. The Office of the Legal Services, OMA main office is taken as the temporary address of the Club.

GOALS

Primary

• To forge an active working relationship with the Muslim communities, emphasizing the importance of abiding with and enhancing the laws of the land;
• To engage in a morally and cause-oriented activities solely aimed to promote and regenerate traditional values;
• To participate in the efforts to reform the M’ranao society in a way that it will regain/restore time-honored value on respect to elder, to the good and sincere leader, to neighbor and to duly crowned royal M’ranao figures.
• To encourage and support good leadership and good politics but in no way the club serves as a tool to advance a political cause of any group and of any party; and
• To lend its arm in the preservation, promotion and enhancement of the age-old cultural and moral values, and mores, being the Islamic essence of the M’ranao way of life.

Secondary

• To support in bringing Islam to every Muslim family and household, thereby making the M’ranao cognizant on true and genuine Islam;
• To help curb the political decadence deeply permeating the root of once good politics among M’ranaos; and
• To assist in any program, led by the public or NGOs, that tends to improve the lots of the M’ranaos in terms of progress.

VISSION/MISSION

To translate the RFC into a major force in the efforts to reawaken the M’ranaos on the importance and significance of the tradition of ADAT, IGMA and TARITIB, reckoning and blending with Islam as a religion and way of life, and its tenets on human relations.

MEMBERSHIP/OFFICIALS/MEETING

Membership

In its early stage, RFC is reclusive and limited to the M’ranao personnel due to the nature of its meeting which is scheduled every Friday, right after the Jum’ah prayer (congregation). Special meeting, if deemed necessary is calendared either by the President or by the Secretary General. In extreme case, the Chair of the Board of Trustees takes the responsibility of scheduling such meeting.

Officials

Like any association registered with the Securities and Exchange Commission, the RFC has its own Board of Trustees and set of Officers. The novelty revolves on the meeting of the Club, which is handled by the Emir of the Month and Emir of the Week.

Meeting

The RFC meeting is done in accordance with the Islamic concept of Musawwarah (consultation) which discards the Western concept of Parliamentary Rules, no points of order, inquiry, and clarification, motion to approve and likes.

The deliberation proper is being handled by the Emir of the Week (EW)-designate while the Emir of the Month (EM)-designate supervises the Friday meetings. The latter is tasked to manage and administer the 4-Friday meeting in the Month. The EW serves as the Presiding Officer of the meeting. To educate the RFC members, everybody is obliged to act as EW.

In the spirit of the Musawwarah, everybody is required to preside on a certain Friday assigned to him by the EM, and if not tasked as such, he is obliged to participate in the Musawwarah. Final decision lies in the hands of the EW. Once decided, the body is deemed to have reached a consensus.

Submission to the Musawwarah is aptly described in this wise:

“Everybody in the Consultation Assembly has the right to voice out his opinion. But when a consensus is reached, everybody is obliged to rally behind the implementation of that consensus, otherwise, he has no right sitting in the assembly, nay, to be a member of the organization he represents.”