MARAWI CITY – Some 5,000 Moro volunteers and six prominent leaders have declared support for the presidential bid of Senator Noynoy Aquino under a national Muslim movement, which also rallied the Liberal Party’s relief operations for flood victims in Metro Manila and Luzon.

Lawyer Paisalin Tago, lead convenor of the Muslim Alliance for Noynoy Aquino (MANA), said that volunteers and their leaders joined lately the group as the touted “Cory’s Magic” continued to “win hearts” from the public in favor of the presidential bid of the senator from Tarlac.

Tago named the six Muslim leaders as Abraham Burahan, Dr. Ibrahim Ibay, Hadji Abdulrahman Disamburun, Hadja Juliet Tammang, Hadja Bai Normallah Alonto-Lucman, and Hadji Macaurog Panandigan, who were sworn-in as MANA national executive vice-president, national treasurer, secretary-general, auditor, public relations officer, and national coordinator, respectively.

Burahan and Tammang were former members of the regional legislature of the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) representing Sulu province, while Ibay and Lucman were former vice governors of Shariff Kabunsuan and Lanao del Sur provinces, respectively.

Tago, a former ARMM legislative speaker, said they have also accepted at least 5,000 Muslim volunteers including converts from various sectors across the country since the MANA formation on September 21, a day after the Islamic world celebrated the Eid-ul Fitr ending Ramadhan fasting.

In their recent caucus in Metro Manila, Tago said the MANA hierarchy forged a manifesto under which the “entire force” of the group declared “unequivocal” support to the prospect candidacy of Aquino for the presidency in 2010 elections.

“MANA firmly believes that Senator Noynoy Aquino inherits the good virtues, values, decency, honesty, integrity, sincerity and competency of his father and mother,” the manifesto said.

Tago said MANA, which literally means inheritance in Filipino and Moro terms, recognized the “valuable efforts” of the late Senator Benigno Aquino Jr. and former President Corazon Aquino in pursuit of meaningful sense of self-determination among the Bangsamoro.