Lilian Mellejor/Philippine News Agency
DAVAO CITY — Mindanao Development Authority Secretary Datu Abul Khayr Alonto passed away at 10 p.m. Thursday due to lung and heart complications. He was 74.
Alonto’s death was declared at the National Kidney and Transplant Institute in Quezon City. His remains will be flown back to his hometown in Lanao del Sur on Friday.
The whole Mindanao Development Authority (MinDA) family, which mourned the death of Alonto, said in a message posted on its Facebook page, “A life dedicated to advance the lives of all Mindanaoans, Secretary Alonto selflessly and relentlessly fought for Mindanao until the end, a true warrior for development and advocate of peace.”
Alonto, who was appointed by President Rodrigo Duterte in September 2016, was the first Muslim chairman and secretary of MinDA, bringing timely representation of the Bangsamoro to the overall socioeconomic development of Mindanao.
Under his leadership, MinDA fought for a bigger budget share of Mindanao, strongly pursued a systemic shift to federalism and crafted a federal framework founded on economic sustainability, preparing constitutions for the regional governments consistent with Duterte’s federal agenda and bracing up for a series of public consultations on federalism.
Alonto left unfinished the economic and infrastructure projects that the President has envisioned for Mindanao.
He was born in Marawi City on Oct. 30, 1945, to Lanao del Sur’s first governor, Ambassador Abdul Ghaffur Madki Alangadi Alonto, and Bai Hajja Rasmia Indol Dangcal.
He served as vice mayor of Marawi City in 1972 and acting mayor of Marawi in 1974. He took up political science at the Cairo University in Egypt and later became a student of the San Beda College of Law. Following the “Jabidah Massacre” on March 18, 1968, Alonto organized the Muslim youth group, LAM ALIF, whose members became the core leaders of the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF).
He joined his MNLF comrades and went “underground” to fight against the abuses committed during the Martial Law regime. After the Tripoli Agreement was signed, Alonto participated in the institutionalization of the autonomous region in Mindanao and held many positions thereafter.
He was installed as chairman of the MNLF by the original members of the MNLF Central Committee in February 2014.
