PRINCESS TARHATA ALONTO-LUCMAN

fIrst Muslim lady governor of Lanao del Sur

Princess Tarhata "Tata" Alonto Lucman is the first Muslim lady governor of Lanao del Sur, appointed in 1971.

She is a member of one of the royal families of Maranao, she fought the Martial Rule of the deposed President Marcos. Known as Tata, she is better known as a rido (clan conflict) settler, noted in a TIME magazine article for helping the release of kidnapped nuns in Marawi City in 1986. From 2001, she has been leading the Muslim-dominated province of Lanao del Sur, the Autonomous Regional Government in Muslim Mindanao.

POSITION

• Governor of Lanao del Sur

Early Life

Born into royalty among Ramain’s Sultanates, Tata as a girl-child looked up to other pioneering Moro ladies like Princess Tarhata Kiram and Dayang Dayang Piandao of Sulu who were able to get educated and travel abroad and to the capital. Within her one year of schooling in her hometown, she was accelerated to grade 4 at the tender age of 6 years old.

The only English-speaking among the household, she acted as translator at the busy home of her father, Alauya Alonto , who was a religious leader and politician. Tata was reared in the world of politics. She assisted her father, who was “no read, no write” in his travels to Manila. This would be her training ground in the man’s world. Constantly defying rules, Tata also didn’t want to marry someone not her choice. She was constantly engaged by her family to men from Maranao buena pamilia , but she would break the betrothals . She would find that the constant visitor, mentor at her home would be interested in her. She soon married Sultan Al-Rashid Lucman.