SULTAN ATTY. OMAR MARUHOM DIANALAN

Late Sultan of the royal house of Guimba Marawi

POSITION

• Sultan of Royal House of Guimba-Marawi
• City Mayor of Dansalan City (now Islamic City of Marawi)
• Assemblyman of Lanao del Sur
• Congressman of First District, Lanao del Sur
• chief of Police of Marawi City

Since I created this webpage I am interested to write article and feature the late Sultan of Guimba, Atty. Omar Dianalan for his participation in our community, and I accept hard for me to begin due to lacked of healthy sources about his life and public service, Alhamdulillah: Allan Usman Dianalan visited me in my house and we had a talks about his grandfather the Sultan of Guimba uncle of his father.

My reasoned of featuring our traditional leaders is to guides or inspires others, whereas a boss can have power and authority but still not actually be a leader. Some argue that leaders only take people where they are willing to go, but others believe they take them beyond, or that crowds create leaders. Some people want power and will do anything to get it; other people follow whoever has the power and authority. Leaders may offer a moral vision or lead by virtue of religious authority or office: some are born with a great life force and mission which others follow for better or worse.

Sultan Atty. Omar Dianalan was one of the most successful and powerful leaders of Mindanao who was responsible for its tremendous success and growth, despite having no grassroots connection or political base in the beginning, his Academic position became his effected resource in sustaining the spirit of his noble will to convince the legions of Iranaons/Mranaos. Controversies and allegations seemed to be a significant part of his political life when some said he was the authored of selling Lake Lanao to National Power Corporation (NPC) I’m pretty sure his not.

A passionate freedom fighter, a partisan socialist, Sultan by heart, social reformer, political leader and a competent lawyer; these are the terms that are often related to the name that is Sultan Atty. Omar Dianalan (Omera and Rudy's father) served well the people of all faiths and helped develop Marawi City as mayor for almost 20 years and assemblyman then congressman of Lanao del Sur and revered sultan of Guimba, until the last portion of his life is for the benefit of his people,

At middle age, he was a lawyer enthroned Sultan of the Royal house of Guimba one of the five “5” Marawi sultanates, he is scion of Ranao from the prominent clans, Maruhom and Dianalan that made his succession for Guimba’s royal House Sultanate.  

In the year 1971 during the abortive rebellion in Marawi city, the Sultan was proved his leadership by further defusing the explosive situation in the city, that time he was a chief of Police and Mayor of the City. He shall be remember as Marawi City’s longest-reigning elected mayor and proponent of various development project that benefited the city and his people, his incumbency as city mayor he succeeded in increasing the city’s income and in encouraging outsiders to invest in Marawi. He succeeded in making Marawi a Modern and peaceful city through his various infrastructure projects which his successor are pursuing.  

During his incumbency as the city mayor, Marawi city was renamed Islamic City of Marawi On April 15, 1980; through the city Council Resolution No. 19-A considering that 92 percent of the people are Muslims and it is the "Center of Islamic Religion" in Southern Philippines, he was the brain of this resolution.

Somewhere in the years 1981-1985 he was elected as assemblyman of Lanao Del Sur with Datu Macacuna B. Dimaporo. Lanao Del Sur was divided into two districts and he was elected Congressman for the first district. He proved an effect representative of Lanao Del Sur by sponsoring or by co-sponsoring the bills that brought the progress to the Iranaons/Mranaos. He also served as board of Regent of Mindanao State University MSU

Sultan Atty. Omar Dianalan was married to the daughter of late Lanao Governor Datu Hadji Alawi Mandangan Dimakuta of Watu, which made him and Congressman Ali B. Dimaporo “Magidas”, with whom he has several children one of them is the former Cooperative Development Authority Administrator and former vice Governor of Lanao del Sur and now Secretary of Office on Muslim Affair (OMA) in the good name of Bae Omera Dimakuta Dianalan Lucman

The respected and adored Sultan passed away in the year 1990 with his good name and personal integrity intact. Even before the term servant-leadership was coined, Sultan Omar lived accordingly and practiced the same principles.

Money and politics go together like love and marriage, but rarely get divorced even when there is some cheating going on. Many great leaders are, or become, very wealthy, but Sultan Atty. Omar Dianalan died without much wealth as you observed to other politicians, He will be remembered as a dynamic, optimistic, visionary and friendly Sultan and executive who’s his door and heart were always open to his people, he deserved to be a good example to the young Iranaons/Mranao who wants to follow his foot steps

By Acmad (Ontay) Macagaan Abdulmadid

http://acmaly88.page.tl