Republic of the Philippines

Mindanao State University

Marawi City, 9700
HISTORY 3 COURSE SYLLABUS AND LECTURE NOTES
Credit Units : 3 Units
Hours Required : 48 Hours
Prerequisite : none
Instructor : DR. TIRMIZY E. ABDULLAH, LPT
Consultation Hours : By Appointment
Contact Number : 09127225080

Course Title: The History of the Muslims in the Philippines and the Lumads
Course Description: This course deals with a descriptive-analytical study of the history of the Muslims
(Islamized natives or Bangsamoro) and the Lumads from the pre-Islamic period, Spanish colonial
period, American occupation, Japanese invasion, Philippine Republic, Martial Law down to the
present. Particular emphasis on how they fought against the forces of foreign colonization and local
domination which threaten their way of life and their very existence. Also, particular emphasis on the
catastrophic historical events that shaped the present conditions of the Muslims in the Philippines
and their struggle for right to self-determination.
Course Objectives:
1. To present a fair and objective history of the Muslims and the Lumads in the Philippines
which are not mentioned in the Manila-centered history books.
2. To fully understand the rightful claim of the Muslims and the Lumads in the Philippines of
their ancestral domain taken from them through a systematic and legal land grabbing.
3. To fully understand the just claim of the Muslims and the Lumads in the Philippines of their
struggle for self-determination.
4. To present a comparative discussion and assessment on the different peace formulas
initiated by the Philippine Government in its desire to solve the Mindanao problem.
Course Book References:
1. Ceasar Adib Majul. Muslims in the Philippines (Quezon City: University of the Philippines,
1999).
2. Peter G. Gowing. Muslim Filipinos: Heritage and Horizon (Quezon City: New Day Publishers,
1979).
3. Salah Jubair. Bangsamoro Under Endless Tyranny (Kuala Lumpur: IQ Marin, 1999).
4. _____________. The Long Road to Peace Inside GRP and MILF Peace Process (Cotabato City:
Institute of Bangsamoro Studies, 2007).
5. Michael O. Mastura. Muslim Filipino Experience: A Collection of Essays (Quezon City: DM
Press, Inc., 1984).
6. Rudy B. Rodil. A Story of Mindanao and Sulu in Question and Answer (Davao City: MINCODE,
2003).
Simplified Course Outline:
I. Introduction
A. The Nature of History as a Study
B. Geographical Setting
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 C. Peoples of Mindanao
D. Muslims or Bangsamoros in the Philippines

II. Islamic Period

A. Understanding Islam
B. Islam: History and Its Expansion
C. Expansion of Islam in Southeast Asia
D. Islamization in the Archipelago (Philippines)
E. Basic Tenets, Teachings and Philosophies of Islam

III. Spanish-Moro Contacts (1565 to 1898)

A. European Age of Exploration: Factors and Motives
B. Spanish Policies to the Moros
C. Spanish-Moro Wars
1. Stages of Spanish-Moro Wars
2. Impact of Spanish-Moro Wars

IV. American Occupation (1898 to 1946)

A. The Coming of the Americans
B. American Policies to the Moros
C. Evolution of American Policies to the Moros
D. Responses of the Moros

V. Commonwealth Government and Japanese Invasion (1936-1946)

VI. Philippine Republic

A. Integration Policy
B. Martial Law of 1972 and the GRP-MNLF Tripoli Agreement 1976
C. ARMM and 1996 Final Peace Agreement

VII. GPH-MILF Peace Process (1997-2000)

A. “All-Out War” in 2000
B. MOA-AD in 2008 Impasse
C. Framework Agreement on Bangsamoro (FAB) 2012
D. Comprehensive Agreement on Bangsamoro and the Bangsamoro Transition
Commission (BTC)
E. Sabah Dispute and Standoff
F. Zamboanga War (2013)
G. Bangsamoro Government
H. Bangsamoro Basic Law (BBL)
Grading System:
Prelim Exam : 20%
Midterm Exam : 20%
Final Exam : 20%
Quizzes : 20%
Projects and Paper Works : 10%
Attendance : 10%
100%
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 Passing Rate : 50%
Course Requirements:
1. Attendance and active class participation.
2. Major Exams
3. Paper Works
4. Map Exam
5. Field Trip (Aga Khan Museum)

Note: Further policies and classroom rules of conduct will be discussed by your instructor. If you have
some clarifications and questions pertaining to the course, please don‟t hesitate to raise them.
HISTORY
It is the scientific reconstruction and investigation of human past based on written
documents/ records, oral traditions, cultural artifacts, and folk traditions.
History is based on what is written, what is said and what is physically preserved.
1. What is written (e.g. diaries, letters, treatises, records, inscriptions etc.)
2. What is said (e.g. oral literature, oral history through interviews etc.)
3. What is physically preserved (e.g. photographs, forts, old palaces, old structures, landmarks
etc.)
Importance of History
1. Relevance to the Present
2. Bridging the Gap Between Present and the Past
3. Explaining Causes of Things and Events
4. Projecting the Future
5. Promoting Nationalism and Patriotism
WHY WE NEED TO STUDY THE HISTORY OF THE MUSLIMS IN THE PHILIPPINES?
“No Philippine history can be complete without a study of Muslim development” –Renato
Constantino, Volume 1 The Philippines: A Past Revisited (1975) page 29.
CESAR ADIB MAJUL
He is the author of Muslims in the Philippines. He studied the nature of the introduction and
expansion of Islam in the Philippines, especially in the southern islands, namely, the Sulu
archipelago and Mindanao. He discusses several theories on the Spread of Islam Malayan world.

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 The PAST

Events observed

Events observed and

remembered

Events observed,
remembered and
recorded

Events whose records

have survived

How many available,

usable and credible
surviving documents

ACCOUNT

FACTS ABOUT MINDANAW

 As of the 2010 census, the island's population itself is 20,281,545 people, while the
Mindanao island group has 21,968,174 inhabitants.
 Mindanao is the second largest island in the Philippines at 104,630 square kilometers, and is
the eighth most populous island in the world. The island of Mindanao is larger than 125
countries worldwide, including the Netherlands, South Korea, Austria, Portugal, Czech
Republic, Hungary, and Ireland.
 The island is covered by 6 administrative regions, 22 provinces, and 30 cities (27 provinces
and 33 cities if associated islands are included).
 More than 70% of the population of Mindanao adhere to Christianity. Roman Catholicism is
the largest single religious affiliation at 60.9 percent of the total household population. Islam
comprises 20.44%, while a figure as high as 40% has been cited. Muslims were formerly the
majority until the influx of Christian Filipino settlers in the 20th century.

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 REGION POPULATION AREA REGIONAL
Component Provinces and
(2010) CENTER Cities
Autonomous 3,256,140 33,511.42 km2 Cotabato City1
1. Basilan* (excluding
Region (3.5%) (12,938.83 sq. Isabela City)
in Muslim mi) 2. Lanao del Sur
Mindanao 3. Maguindanao
(ARMM) 4. Sulu*
5. Tawi-Tawi*
CARAGA 2,429,224 21,478.35 km 2 Butuan City 1. Agusan del Norte
(Region XIII) (2.6%) (8,292.84 sq. mi) 2. Agusan del Sur
3. Butuan2
4. Dinagat Islands*
5. Surigao del Norte
6. Surigao del Sur
Davao Region 4,468,563 20,357.42 km 2 Davao City 1. Compostela Valley
(Region XI) (4.8%) (7,860.04 sq. mi) 2. Davao City
3. Davao del Norte
4. Davao del Sur
5. Davao Oriental
6. Davao Occidental
Northern 4,297,323 20,496.02 km2 Cagayan de 1. Bukidnon
Mindanao (4.7%) (7,913.56 sq. mi) Oro City 2. Cagayan de Oro
(Region X) 3. Camiguin*
4. Iligan City
5. Lanao del Norte
6. Misamis Occidental
7. Misamis Oriental
SOCCSKSARGEN 4,109,571 22,513.30 km 2 Koronadal City 1. Cotabato
(Region XII) (4.5%) (8,692.43 sq. mi) 2. Cotabato City
3. General Santos
4. Sarangani
5. South Cotabato
6. Sultan Kudarat
Zamboanga 3,407,353 17,056.73 km 2 Zamboanga 1. Isabela City3
Peninsula (3.7%) (6,585.64 sq. mi) City 2. Zamboanga City
(Region IX) 3. Zamboanga del Norte
4. Zamboanga del Sur
5. Zamboanga Sibugay
(Source: National Statistical Coordination Board, Philippine Statistics Authority)
*The provinces of Basilan, Camiguin, Dinagat Islands, Sulu, and Tawi-Tawi are separate
islands and/or island groups themselves, but are included under the island group of Mindanao.
WHERE IS THE TRADITIONAL HOMELAND OF THE MOROS?
1
Cotabato City, although administratively under SOCCSKSARGEN, is considered the regional center of ARMM. It
is also an independent component city, not under the jurisdiction of any provincial government.
2
Cities of Butuan, Davao, Iligan, Cagayan de Oro, General Santos and Zamboanga are highly urbanized city,
independent from any province.
3
A component city, part of the province of Basilan, but whose regional services are provided by the offices of Region
IX.
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 The Moros regard themselves as the real owners of the greater part Mindanao and Sulu.
Twentieth century migrants from the northern islands however challenged this claim. Now, except for
four five provinces (Lanao del Sur, Maguindanao, Basilan, Sulu and Tawi-tawi) and a few other towns
for the Moros, they have become numerical minorities in their own traditional/ancestral homeland.

 The Bangsamoros have never occupied the whole Mindanao.

 They concentrated in the western and southern portions of Mindanao.

Three Bangsamoro Regions

1. Sulu Archipelago
It is the southernmost chain of islands in the Philippines and extends for 200 miles from
Zamboanga Peninsula to northeast Borneo. In the past, pearl fishing was an important source of
income. There is a possibility that the Sulu and Celebes seas cover significant deposits of oil, the
exploitation of which could have an enormous impact on the economy and life ways of the peoples of
Sulu.
Importance:
a. Principal routes of early migrants.
b. Maritime traffic.
c. Islamization from Borneo to Mindanao, Visayas and Luzon.

Buansa
It embraced the present Jolo and it was an important center of trade and commerce. Chinese
merchants traded in Jolo‟s markets long before the arrival Spaniards.

2. Lanao Region
It is the homeland of the Mranaws and Iranuns bordered on the northwest by Iligan Bay, on
the southwest by Ilana Bay. To the east and northeast it fronts the province of Bukidnon, and to the
south it borders Cotabato.

Traditional Political Divisions:

PHANGAMPONG
It refers to the traditional socio-political organization and territorial division of Lanao (Ranaw).
Genealogically, it antedated the coming of Islam in the region. It is a system of multiple sultanates.

Pat a Phangampong ko Ranaw (Four Principalities / States of Lanao)

1. Bayabaw
2. Masiu
3. Unayan
4. Balo-i
Governing Bodies:
1. Panoroganan or Pagawidan (Executive Nobilities) 16 Royal Houses
2. Mbabaya ko Taritib or Pagawid (Legislative Nobilities) 28
Royal Houses
Marawi City

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 Formerly known as Dansalan; It is the only chartered city in the Philippines with a
predominantly Muslims.

3. Cotabato Region
It is the homeland of the Magindanawn. This region is now divided into four provinces namely,
North Cotabato, South Cotabato, Maguindanao and Sultan Kudarat. These four provinces
encompass the entire southwest portion of Mindanao. The great number of Christian Filipinos who
have migrated into the Cotabato region, both during the American period and after 1946, have made
the Magindanawn a minority in their own homeland.

Pulangi River
It was called by the Spaniards as Rio Grande de Mindanao; it is the longest river in Mindanao
and, together with its tributaries, forms the chief means transportation for conveying people and
produce up and down stream to the coast.

Traditional Political Divisions:

 Sultanate of Magindanaw (Mindanao). Sa Ilud, “lower valley”, nearest the sea.
 Sultanate of Bwayan. Sa Raya, “upper valley”, inland.
 Principality of Kabuntalan (Bagumbayan). Between two larger states.

Cotabato City
The name means “stone fort” and formerly known as Slangan. It is located about twelve miles
from the mouth of Pulangi River and has given its name to the surrounding region.

LUWARAN (also known as PALUWARAN)

It is a special code of laws which is drawn from the Noble Qur‟an, Islamic books on Shari‟ah
and local customs and traditions used by the Magindanawns.

ARRESTED DEVELOPMENT
Spain, arriving in the archipelago four centuries ago, halted by force of arms the Islamization
then in progress in the whole archipelago. The Philippines was in the period of religious transition
from older religion (paganism) to Islam when the Spaniards arrived and intruded in that transition or
development.

FOLK ISLAM
It refers to that synthesis of Islamic concepts and practices with the indigenous cultures.

PEOPLES OF MINDANAO
In general, the present peoples of Mindanao may be divided into two broad categories in
order to distinguish the indigenous inhabitants of Mindanao: indigenous and migrant settlers.
The indigenous peoples may be further subdivided into three namely Bangsamoro (Islamized
groups), Lumad groups, and Indigenous “Christians” (Visayan/Cebuano speaking and Christianized).
1. INDIGENOUS PEOPLES
a. BANGSAMORO

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 They are generally Muslims. They were Islamized prior to the arrival of the Spaniards. In a
closer examination, some of the Moro groups are partly Islamized and partly not such as the
Palawani of Palawan and Badjao of Sulu Archipelago.
The term Bangsamoro comes from two words, bangsa, a Malay word which means “nation” or
“people” and Moro which was used by the Spaniards which refers to the Muslims. The word Moro is
not a new name. It was derived from ancient Mauri or Mauritania and was later on applied on the
Muslim Berbers of North Africa and those who came and controlled Spain from 711 to 1492. The
name, therefore, did not exclude Arabs themselves especially those who founded the Muslim
Dynasty in Al-Andalusia (Spain). In a larger context, the name is not confined to a group of people, or
a nationality, but applied rather to a religious affiliation, transcending the barriers of geography, race
and time.
The name “Moro” has been much disliked by the Muslims in the Philippines (if not all, many
Muslims in the Philippines) since it was a name given by the Spaniards. However, since the Moro
National Liberation Front (MNLF) 4 bannered it in its struggle, it has acquired new meaning and has
become a source of pride for the Muslims in the Philippines.
It should be noted that it was the Spanish who named the Muslims in the archipelago Moros
and the same true with the Christianized natives in the archipelago who were named Filipinos.
However, it doesn‟t mean at all that if you are named you are controlled or conquered. Out of the
determined defiance of the Muslims in the archipelago in Spanish colonization and Christianization,
the Spaniards named them Moros. According to Salah Jubair, a writer, in his book Bangsamoro
Under Endless Tyranny, “If Filipino was the child of colonialism; Moro was the offspring of anti-
colonialism”.
THE THIRTEEN (13) BANGSAMORO GROUPS
MORO GROUPS FOUND IN SULU ARCHIPELAGO AND PALAWAN
1. BADJAW (SAMA DILAUT)
“Sea gypsies”, they move with the wind and the tide in their small house-boats (boat-
dwelling). Badjaw is a Malay-Bornean word which connotes “man of the seas” or “orang laut”
in Bahasa Malayo. They are the least intensively Islamized of all the Bangsamoro Groups and
their religious beliefs and customs are still largely animistic. Their area of concentration is
South Sulu.
2. SAMAL (SAMA)
“Sama-sama” which means “togetherness”; they are found in Sulu archipelago
specifically in Simunul and Sibutu Islands. They have an Arab blood. They possessed highly
developed boat-building techniques and sometimes practicing simple garden agriculture.
They are the most widely dispersed of all ethnolinguistic groups in the Sulu chain.
3. JAMA MAPUN
They are found in Cagayan de Sulu or Tawi-tawi (Mapun Island). Some are found in
Southern Palawan. On closer examination may not be a distinct group. They are another sub-
group of Samal.
4. YAKAN
They are found in Basilan Island; they were formerly known as Samales (coastal

4
Details of it will be discussed in next modules.
8
 dwellers). Francisco de Combes called them Sameacas, people who kept much to
themselves. They are engaged in making boats which they sell to the Tausugs. The word
Yakan denotes “Dayak origin”. They are descendants of both Dayak from Northeast Borneo
and Sama from Johore.
5. TAUSOG (JOLOANO)
They are the dominant ethnic group in the Sulu archipelago, are the sole residents of
Jolo, the historical seat of Sultanate of Sulu. They are known as the “people of the
sea/current”. However, there are many farmers among the Tausog, locally called Tauguimba
or Guimbahanon “inland people” by the shore-dwellers. They are found all over, ranging even
to distant Palawan and the East Malaysian State of Sabah.
6. MOLBOG
They are found in Balabac Island and Southern Palawan. The term is derived from the
word “Malubog” means “murky or turbid water”, probably they are migrant from North
Borneo. In past, they were ruled by the Sulu sultans, forming the outer periphery of the Sulu
sultanate. Intermarriage between Tausogs and Molbog hastened the Islamization of the
Molbog.
7. PALAWANI (MUSLIM PINALAWAN or PANIMUSAN)
They are found in Southern Palawan. They are still in the stage of being Islamized.
“People in scattered places” as the Tausogs called them. They closely resemble the
Tagbanua.

MORO GROUPS FOUND IN MAINLAND MINDANAO

8. MAGINDANAWN5
They are the “people of the flooded plain”. They are found in Cotabato region, known
also as the Pulangi River Valley. Their name derives from the fact that the river, regularly over
flows its banks, inundating the adjacent plains. They are commonly found in the province of
Magindanaw.
9. IRANUN (ILANUN)
Lanaw-en is a word of Magindanaw origin meaning “people from the lake”. The name I-
Lanaw-en is a clue to the origins of the Iranun marauders. It suggests that they were originally
Mranaw; “people of the lake” from the lofty tableland around Lake Lanao in central
Mindanao. They are found from Buldon to Parang, along the shores of Ilana Bay.
James Francis Warren, a writer, called the Iranuns “Lords of the Eastern Seas”
because of their engagement in piracy and slave-raiding in Southeast Asia in 1768 to 1830.
They are known as the people of the Ilana Bay. Lanun is Malay term for “pirate”.
10. MRANAW
They are found in Lanao region, “people of the lake”. The term is from the word Ranaw
means “lake”. They are walled in by mountains and isolated in their highland fastness,
Mranaw artisans developed arts of weaving, wood carving, and metal work. The Mranaws
remained little known to Spanish invaders, European travelers, and traders because of their
upland agricultural orientation.

5
What are today identified as three groups –Maguindanaon, Iranun and Meranao—came from same progenitor/ancestors not many
centuries back.
9
 11. KALIBUGAN (KOLIBUGAN)
They are found in Zamboanga peninsula. They are neither Muslims nor Christians.
They are close relatives of the Subanen, where there is Subanen, there is also Kalibugan.
Kolibugan or Kalibugan means “half-breed”.
12. KAGAN (KALAGAN)
They are found in Davao Provinces, on the shores of Davao Gulf. They are also relative
of Tagakaolo.
13. SANGIL (SANGIR)
They are found in Sarangani Island group. The word Sangil is derived from Sangihe, an
archipelago in eastern Indonesia located between Sulawesi and Mindanao, it was their
original place. They were among the buccaneers who attacked the Spanish forts. They had
been Muslims prior to their arrival in Southern Philippines. Their migration perhaps comes
about as a result of Dutch colonial pressure and increasing Christianization of their
homeland.
b. LUMAD GROUPS
They are neither Islamized nor Christianized upon the arrival of the Spaniards. Lumad is a
Cebuano term which means “native” or “aboriginal” or “autochthonous” which has become the
collective name for the 19 (or more) ethnolinguistic groups of Mindanao. During the Spanish period
they were dubbed as Infieles by the Spaniards and they were referred as “wild tribes” by the
Americans.
Representatives from the said ethnolinguistic groups agreed to adopt a common name in a
Congress in June 1986 which also established Lumad Mindanao. This is the first time that these
tribes agreed to a common name for themselves, distinct from the Moros and different from the
Christian majority.
The choice of Cebuano word (Lumad)–Cebuano is the language of the natives of Cebu in the
Visayas- was a bit ironic but it was deemed to be most appropriate considering that the various
Lumad tribes do not have any other common language except Cebuano.

LUMAD GROUPS TRADITIONAL HOMELAND

MANOBO Agusan River Valley, Bukidnon and Cotabato
Provinces
SUBANEN Zamboanga Peninsula
B‟LAAN Cotabato Provinces (Lake Buluan to Sarangani
Islands)
T‟BOLI Cotabato Provinces (Lake Buluan to Sarangani
Gulf)
MANDAYA Davao Provinces
TEDURAY (TIRURAY) Cotabato Provinces
HIGAONON Bukidnon, Lanao and Misamis Oriental
BAGOBO Davao (Foothills east and west of Mt. Apo)
BUKIDNON Bukidnon
MAMANWA Agusan and Surigao Provinces (Lake Mainit)
TALAANDIG/ TIGKALASAN Bukidnon
ATA Davao Provinces
TAGAKAOLO Davao (Cape of San Agustin)
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DIBABAWON
MANGGUWANGAN Davao (North of Davao Gulf)
BANWAON
MANSAKA
TAGABILI
MATIGSALOG Bukidnon
And others

There is no fixed specific number of Lumad groups in Mindanao and Palawan. There could be
more if we pursue the Lumad habit of naming themselves after their place of traditional residence.
c. Indigenous “Christians”
They are natives of Mindanao who embraced Christianity. They are Visayan-speaking natives
of Northern and Eastern Mindanao and Zamboanga City, they are known locally by their place names
such as the Dabaweno (Davao provinces but mostly in Davao Oriental), Butuanon (Butuan),
Camiguinon/Kinamigin (Camiguin Island), Cagayanon (Cagayan de Oro City), Iliganon (Iligan City),
Ozamiznon (Ozamiz City), Dapitanon (Dapitan), Dipolognon (Dipolog) and Chavacano (Zambonga
City). It is difficult to identify these natives because they have been assimilated and integrated into
the Christian migrants/settlers who were originally coming from the North Philippines which now
composed the majority population of Mindanao.
Also, in this category the Christianized Lumad is included. Recently there are numerous
Lumads who eventually accepted Christianity as their religion and way of life like the Manobos.
2. CHRISTIAN MIGRANT SETTLERS
They were coming from Luzon and Visayas who migrated in Mindanao in 20th century. During
the American Period and the earliest period of Philippine Republic there was an influx of settlers/
migrants in Mindanao who were coming from Luzon and Visayas. They were promised by the
government that if they will migrate to Mindanao, they will be given lands. The lands awarded and
given to them were lands of the indigenous peoples (Bangsamoros and Lumads) of Mindanao. That
is why that act is called “systematic or legal land grabbing” because the lands of the indigenous
people of Mindanao were taken from them without their consent and approval. It should be noted
that not all legal or official is just and rightful.
ISLAM: HISTORY, EXPANSION, AND BASIC TEACHINGS

SOCIAL EVILS of Pre-Islamic Arabia: Age of Jahiliya (Ignorance)

1. Polytheism and idol worship
2. Practice of infanticide
3. No law and order
4. Tribal feuds
5. Ignorance of the very rudiments of social virtues
6. Women inferiority
7. Excessive vices
8. Slavery

Life of Prophet Muhammad

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 Prophet Muhammad (whose name means "highly praised") was born in 570 C.E. during the
Age of Elephant because that very year Abraha Ashram, an Abyssinian governor of Yemen together
with his huge armies and elephants invaded Makka to destroy or uproot Ka‟aba and relocate it to
Yemen.
His father, Abdullah had died before he could see his son. Abdullah was a trader and when we
going back home from Damascus he fell sick in Yathrib (Madina) and eventually died there. His
mother was Aminah who was one of the pious women of that time.
It was the tradition of their time newly born babies are taken care of nurses from country side
because infants were hard to survive in Makka due to the climate. Muhammad was entrusted to a
virtuous woman called Halima, who suckled him and nursed him. He was returned back to his
mother when he was six. His mother passed away when he was six in a place between Makka and
Yathrib when they were returning back to Makka after visiting the grave of his father in Yathrib. After
his mother death he was raised by his paternal grandfather, Abdul Muttalib. When Abdul Muttalib
passed away, Muhammad came under the care of his uncle, Abu Talib, the father of Ali.

The young orphan was then raised primarily by his uncle, for whom he worked as a shepherd.
At age 9 (some sources say 12), he joined his uncle on a caravan to Syria.

As a young man, Muhammad worked as a camel driver between Syria and Arabia. Soon he
established a career managing caravans on behalf of merchants. Through his travel first with his
uncle and later in his career, Muhammad came into contact with people of many nationalities and
faiths, including Jews, Christians and pagans.

At age 25, Muhammad was employed by Khadija, a wealthy Makkan widow 15 years his
senior who had employed him as a trading agent. The two were married, and by all accounts enjoyed
a loving and happy marriage.

At the age of 40, during one of his periodic meditative retreats in a nearby cave, he began to
experience visions and auditory revelations. The angel Gabriel appeared to him with a book and
commanded him to Iqra "read" or “recite”. Initially, he shared the messages with his family and
friends. But over time, he began to meet daily with a growing circle of people to share the message of
Peace (Islam).

A major part of Muhammad's mission was devoted to ending the vicious cycle of murder and
warfare perpetrated by pre-Islamic tribes engaged in bitter blood feuds. As might be expected,
Muhammad's message faced opposition forcing him to flee to the neighboring city of Medina, a town
400 km north of Mecca. This event, the Hijrah (emigration) marks the beginning of the Islamic era
and its dating.

After establishing himself in Madina and accomplishing the job he had been invited to do, the
people Muslims of Madina began several years of defensive battle with Muhammad's former home
city. In 624 Battle of Badr took place, the Muslims won their first battle against the Makkan pagans.
In 625, followed by the Battle of Uhud at the valley located in front of Mount Uhud wherein the
Muslims were almost defeated. Followed by the Battle of the Trench in 627 was a fortnight-long
siege of Madina by Makkan pagans. The strength of the Makkan armies is estimated around 10,000
men with six hundred horses and some camels, while the Madina defenders numbered 3,000.

12
 In 628, the Makkan pagans and the Muslim community in Madina signed a truce called the
Treaty of Hudaybiyya beginning a ten-year period of peace. War returned when the Makkans and
their allies violated the truce by attacking innocent Muslims. In 630, Muslims conquered Mecca.
Muhammad died in Madina in 632 and left no male heir. Islam is an Arabic word. It means peace,
greeting, obedience, loyalty, allegiance and submission to the will of the Creator of the universe. The
name of the Creator of the universe is Allah, an Arabic word which means God Almighty. Allah, the
one and only God, has 99 names and numerous attributes. He is the Merciful, the Protector, the
Mighty, the Forgiver, the Provider, the Loving, the Wise, the All-Knowing, the All-Hearing, the All-
Seeing, the First, the Last, the Eternal.

Muslims believe that Muhammad was chosen by Allah (God) as the final prophet and
messenger to humanity to deliver his message of Peace (Islam). They do not worship Muhammad
only Allah. Muhammad was both a Prophet and a statesman.

ISLAMIC CALIPHATE: SUCCESSORS OF PROPHET MUHAMMAD

Khulafah Ar Rashidun (Four Rightly Guided Caliphs), 632-660

1. Abu Bakr, 632-634 : The period of his caliphate was not long; it included successful
invasions of the two most powerful empires of the time, a remarkable achievement in its own
right. He set in motion a historical trajectory that in few decades would lead to one of the
largest empires in history. He was called Al-Siddiq (The Truthful).

2. Umar, 634-644 : He was an expert Islamic jurist and is best known for his
pious and just nature, which earned him the title Al-Faruq ("the one who distinguishes
between right and wrong"). Umar is regarded as one of the greatest political geniuses in
history. While under his leadership, the empire was expanding at an unprecedented rate, he
also began to build the political structure that would hold together the vast empire that was
being built. He undertook many administrative reforms and closely oversaw public policy. His
exemplary achievements were the expansion of Islam.

3. Uthman, 644-656 : Uthman is best known for forming the committee which produced
multiple copies of the text of the Qur'an as it exists today. During his time, Qur‟an was finally
compiled.

4. Ali, 656-661 : His caliphate is one of the hardest periods in Muslim history that
coincided with the first Muslim civil war. Many Muslims consider his government as the
Islamic style of justice and tolerance on one side and tough following of Islamic law on the
other.

MUSLIM DYNASTIES AND EMPIRES

1. Umayyad Dynasty (661-749) : Umayyad regime was founded by Muawiya ibn Abi
Sufyan, long-time governor of Syria, Syria remained the Umayyads' main power base
thereafter, and Damascus was their capital. The Umayyads continued the Muslim conquests,
incorporating the Caucasus, Transoxiana, Sind, the Maghreb and the Iberian Peninsula (Al-
Andalus) into the Muslim world. At its greatest extent, the Umayyad Caliphate covered 5.79
million square miles (15,000,000 km2), making it the largest empire the world had yet seen,
and the fifth largest ever to exist.
13
 2. Abbasid Dynasty (750-1258) : The Abbasid historical period lasting to 1258
(Mongol conquest of Baghdad) is considered the Islamic Golden Age. The Islamic Golden Age
was inaugurated by the middle of the 8th century by the ascension of the Abbasid Caliphate
and the transfer of the capital from Damascus to Baghdad. The Abbassids were influenced by
the Qur'anic injunctions and hadith such as "the ink of a scholar is more holy than the blood
of a martyr" stressing the value of knowledge. During this period the Muslim world became an
intellectual center for science, philosophy, medicine and education as the Abbasids
championed the cause of knowledge and established the House of Wisdom in Baghdad;
where both Muslim and non-Muslim scholars sought to translate and gather all the world's
knowledge into Arabic

3. Ottoman Dynasty (1259-1922) : It was founded by Turkish tribes under Osman

Gazi in north-western Anatolia in 1299. With the conquest of Constantinople (Istanbul) by
Muhammad II in 1453, the Ottoman state became an empire. With Istanbul as its capital and
vast control of lands around the Mediterranean basin, the empire was at the center of
interactions between the Eastern and Western worlds for over six centuries. The empire
reached its peak at 1590, covering parts of Asia, Europe and Africa. The reign of the long-lived
Ottoman dynasty lasted for 623 years, from 1299 to 1922, when it was abolished.

BASIC TEACHINGS OF ISLAM

FIVE PILLARS OF ISLAM

1. Profession of Faith (Shahada)
The profession of faith is saying with purity, sincerity and full conviction, “La ilahailla Allah,
Muhammadurrasoolu Allah”. This saying means “I bear witness that there is no God except God
and Muhammad is the messenger of God”. The profession of faith is the most important pillar of
Islam because it is the ultimate foundation of Islamic faith.

2. The Five Times Daily Prayer (Salah)

Muslims perform five daily prayers. Prayer in Islam is a direct link between the worshipper and
God. There are no intermediaries between God and the worshipper. In prayer, a person feels
inner happiness, peace, and comfort, and that God is pleased with him or her. The five daily
prayers:

Salat al Fajr (The dawn prayer)

Salat al Dhuhr (The noon prayer)
Salat al Asr (The afternoon prayer)
Salat al Maghrib (The sunset prayer)
Salat al Isha (The evening prayer)

3. Poor Due (Zakah)

All things belong to God, and wealth is therefore held by human beings in trust. The original
meaning of the word zakat is both “purification” and “growth”. Poor due is paid at 2.5% out of our
wealth once in a lunar year.

4. Fasting During the Holy Month of Ramadhan(Sawm)

Every year in the month of Ramadhan, Muslims fast from dawn until sunset. In this month we
remember the value of the favors God has given to us, which we normally take for granted and
14
 for which we do not give sufficient thanks. It is a spiritual purification. By cutting oneself off from
worldly comforts, even for a short time, a fasting person gains true sympathy with those who go
hungry, as well as growth in his or her spiritual life.

The aim of fasting is to achieve taqwa (awe) and curb the selfish soul, to discipline it and
bring it under control. Fasting must be performed in an attitude of worship if we really wish to
benefit from its blessing.

5. Pilgrimage to Makkah (Hajj)

The annual pilgrimage to Makka is an obligation once in a lifetime for those who are
physically and financially able to perform it. Through the Hajj we take lessons from the
submission of the prophets Abraham and Ishmael and can appreciate their strong trust in God.

In addition to the Hajj (greater pilgrimage), which is performed only on fixed days of the year,
one can also perform the lesser pilgrimage called Umrah at any time of the year. Due to its
performance at any time, it is also called the lesser pilgrimage.

ARTICLES OF FAITH / BELIEF

1. Belief in the Oneness and Unity of God (Tawheed)
Muslims believe in one, unique, incomparable God, who has neither son nor partner, and that
none has the right to be worshipped but Him alone. He has the most magnificent names and
sublime perfect attributes. No one shares His divinity, or his attributes.

God exists and His existence depends on nothing. Thus, He is self-existent. There is no
probability of Him being non-existent.

2. Belief in Angels
Muslims believe in the existence of the angels and that they are honored creatures. The
angels worship God alone, obey Him, and act only by his command. Among the angels is Gabriel,
who brought down the Qur‟an to Prophet Muhammad.

Angels are benevolent non-material beings. That is why we cannot see them in their actual
form with our eyes. Yet, they have the ability to be seen in their actual form with our eyes. Yet,
they have the ability to be seen in whatever form is deemed best. However, they were allowed to
be seen by some of the great prophets in their non-materialized form. Their nature requires no
food, drink or sleep. As they are created to spend their entire existence in the service of God they
are not given a soul (nafs). Therefore, their nature does not allow disobedience to God.

3. Belief in Holy Books

Muslims believe that God revealed books to His messengers as proof for mankind and as
guidance for them. Holy books are like letters from God to His servants. They deal with how
humans should spend their lives and provide prescription for eternal happiness. There are four
holy books: the Torah (Taurat) sent to Moses; the Psalm (Zabur) sent David; the Gospel (Injil) sent
to Jesus; and finally the Qur‟an sent to Muhammad.

4. Belief in Prophets
Prophets are the guides for leading to, finding and remaining on the straight path. As humans
are prone to go astray from the straight path, God protected them from being further misled by
sending prophets. Thus, Allah through the holy books and prophets, informs humans about their
15
 responsibilities and limitations, and made them accountable; God gave this opportunity to every
people.

5. Belief in the Hereafter/ Day of Judgment.

Salvation and eternal happiness depend upon deeds and conduct of humankind in this
temporal life. Belief in the hereafter is one of the principles of the six articles of faith enabling
men to become aware of the fact that there is a reward or a punishment in return for these deeds
and acts and thus men have responsibilities during his temporal life.

6. Belief in Divine Determining/ Qadar.

Muslims believe in Al-Qadar, which is Divine Predestination, but this belief in Divine
Predestination does not mean that human beings do not have freewill. Rather, Muslims believe
that God has given human beings freewill. This means that they can choose right or wrong and
that they are responsible for their choices.

SOURCES OF SHARI‟AH (ISLAMIC LAW)

1. Qur’an : Most sacred book of the Muslims believed to be coming from
God.
2. Hadith and Sunnah : Narrations, sayings and traditions of the Prophet
Muhammad.
3. Fiqh : Jurisprudence and science of law formulated by the Muslim
jurists.
4. Ijma’ : Consensus and agreed by the Muslim scholars.
5. Qiyas : Analogy of individual learned Muslim scholars that comes out as
fatwa.

CLASSIFICATION OF DEEDS ACCORDING TO SHARI‟AH (ISLAMIC LAW)

1. Fardu (obligatory) : omitting is highly punished, observance is highly rewarded.
2. Sunnah (highly recommended) : omitting is not punished, observance highly rewarded.
3. Mubah (permissible) : neither punished nor rewarded like eating.
4. Makruh (Objectionable) : committing is not punished, omitting is rewarded.
5. Haraam (Forbidden) : committing is highly punishable and omitting is highly
rewarded.

MUSLIM SCHOOLS OF THOUGHT (Madhahib) Islamic Fiqh

1. Hanafi : mainly taken through quiyas (Turkey, central Asia and Indonesia)
2. Maliki : entirely on traditions (North Africa)
3. Shafi’i : entirely sunnah but extensive (Arab lands and Malay archipelago)
4. Hanbali : applied reasoning very freely (Arabia)

ISLAM IN SOUTHEAST ASIA

“The spread of Islam was gradual and peaceful. There was no reported serious resistance to the new
religion. It was received though it were „natural to do so.‟ In fact, it is safe to argue that had the
Christian Spaniards delayed their coming by fifty (50) years, the Philippines today would be a Muslim
country, like its neighbors – Indonesia, Malaysia, and Brunei.” –Prof. Felipe Landa
Jocano, Filipino Prehistory, Rediscovering Precolonial Heritage (1998), page 24.

16
THEORIES ON THE COMING OF ISLAM
It has been noted that as early as the seventh century there were few trader colonies
scattered along trade routes and that there was decided increase in their number during the ninth
and tenth centuries in Southeast Asia. Yet it was only by the end of the thirteenth century, continuing
to the next century, that Islamic influences became more pronounced, and this was followed by an
acceleration of Islamization in the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries. It has been, therefore,
concluded by scholars that some element or factor over and above the mere presence of Muslim
traders is needed to explain the process of Islamization. The attempt to discover this element has
given rise to various theories.
1. TRADE THEORY
It maintains that Muslim traders brought Islam along with their merchandise.
Therefore, the Muslim trader at the same time a religious mentor.

2. MISSIONARY THEORY
This explains how Islam was spread the work of professional teachers of Islam who
came to expand Islam. Some of them belong to the Sufi orders.

The Trade Theory and Missionary Theory are compatible to each other since Islam is
not a sacerdotal religion; some of its greatest teachers have dedicated themselves in
teaching and preaching Islam without abandoning trade to supplement their earnings as
teachers and preachers.

3. POLITICAL THEORY
It maintains that the adaptation of Islam by the rulers for political motives. For
example, Islam was utilized as a political instrument with Muslim leaders enjoying the
protection of Muslim rulers, while thy in return provides the ruler their economic resources.

4. ECONOMIC THEORY
The rulers of principalities were able to participate more extensively and profitably in
the international trade upon adopting Islam.

5. IDEOLOGICAL THEORY
This asserts that Islam was adopted by many natives simply because the manner it
was presented and introduced satisfied certain spiritual aspiration and expectation of the
people.

6. CRUSADER THEORY
The spread of Islam as the result of conscious response on the part of the Muslim with
the coming of European colonizers. It explains the acceleration of the spread of Islam and the
faster expansion of Islam due to growing Islamic consciousness.

The Crusader Theory is valid only as an explanation of the acceleration of the spread of
Islam by the beginning of the sixteenth century. It cannot however explain the spread which
had begun much earlier.

It is understandable why the profounder of a theory should be inclined to view his theory as it
were the major, if not the sole, explanation for the process of Islamization. But it clearly appears that
such a complex phenomenon as the introduction and expansion of Islam in so many different islands
17
and principalities at different times cannot be fully understood solely on the basis of a single or
simple explanation. Actually, all of these theories complement each other for they refer to different
historical stages and for different and particular areas in Southeast Asia.
ISLAM AND ISLAMIZATION IN THE PHILIPPINES
As a field of inquiry, the introduction and spread of Islam in the Philippines has received scant
attention from scholars. One reason among others is the lack of archeological data and
contemporary accounts of the period before the advent of Europeans in the area.
The Islamization of the southern Philippines occurred along with the Islamization of Borneo
Sulawesi, Celebes, and the Moluccas.

TARSILAS/ SALSILAS
In an attempt to reconstruct the history of the Bangsamoros, the first indispensable
documents to be consulted and studied are the tarsilas or salsilas. These are primarily written
genealogical accounts.

The tarsilas of Sulu were not as scientific histories of the archipelago, so as documents of
their time and place, they contain elements which are permanently mythological and baffling for the
present-day readers.

DR. NAJEEB MITRY SALEEBY

He was a Christian Arab brought by the Americans and had studied the tarsilas or salsilas in
Mindanao and has written on the histories of Maguindanao and Sulu published in 1905 and 1908.
His works still remain authoritative and most Filipino historians and writers of history books have
remained content to repeat uncritically most of what he had written on the subject.

Tuan Maqbalu
There is one piece of archeological information that may support the theory that Islam may
have arrived much earlier than the closing years of the fourteenth century. The discovery of sacred
grave/ tombstone on the slope of Bud Datu bearing, among other entries, the year of the death of
the deceased, 710 A.H, which corresponds to 1310 A.C. The sacred grave in Bud Datu is a venerated
grave, a few miles from Jolo and has been the site for the coronation of most of the Sultans of Sulu.

Tuan Mashaika
He appeared and stayed in the area of Maimbung, Sulu. He was credited with having founded
the first Muslim community and married the daughter of a local chieftain and raised his children as
Muslim. He came when the people of Jolo were still worshipping stones and other inanimate objects.

Karimul Makhdum6 (Sharif Awliya)

He is an Arab who arrived in 1380 A.C. and converted a large number of inhabitants to Islam;
reverently called Sharif Awliya. Makhdum was responsible for the founding of the first Masjid in the
Philippine archipelago at Tubig-Indangan on Simunul Island. Najeeb Saleeby quotes from one tarsila
with regards to him as follows:
The existence of graves in several places in Sulu which local residents claim to be the final
resting place of the Makhdum suggests the possibility that there were two or more makhdumin.

Rajah Baguinda.

6
Makhdum is an Arabic term for Master or Father and a common designation for Sufi missionaries.
18
 In 1390, Rajah Baguinda arrived and continued the works of Karimul Makhdum. By this time
flourishing Muslim community in Sulu evolved. Sulu tarsilas speak about him; came to Jolo from
Menangkabaw region of Sumatra. No clear account if he was a Sumatran. He was a powerful foreign
Muslim; he strengthened Islamic consciousness in the area.

Sayyid Abubakar (Sultan Sharif Hashim)

The first crowned sultan of Sulu, an Arab from South Arabia, who was said to be a direct
descendant of Prophet Muhammad. He came to Buansa towards the middle of 15th century and lived
with the Rajah Baguinda. He founded the Sultanate of Sulu, referred to in Sulu Sultan Sharif Hashim.
And he consolidated Islam in Buansa and shaped political institutions along Islamic lines. The old
Rajah Baguinda‟s daughter, Paramisuli, was married by Sayyid Abubakar.

PENETRATION OF ISLAM IN MINDANAO

GENEALOGY OF THE SULTANATE AND RULERS MAGINDANAW

Sharif Sharif
Kabungsuan + Kabungsuan +
Angintabu Putri Tunina
(Second Wife) (First wife)

Sharif Maka-alang 1. Putri Maamor

+ Buli (Bla'an 2. Putri Milagandi
woman) 3. Putri Bai Batula

Bangkaya + Bangkaya +
Bangkaya +
Woman of Magindanawn Maginut
Umbun (Slangan)
Matampay woman

Gugu Sarikula +
Kapitan Laut Dimasangkay +
Raja Putri
Bwisan + Ambang Umpas
(Tausog lady)

Sultan
Muhammad Umburung
Dipatuan Kudarat

Sharif Muhammad Kabungsuan

He came from Johore to the mouth of Pulangi River, sometime in the year 1475; descended
from Arab father and Malay mother. It is possible, however, that Muslim missionaries were at work in
Mindanao well before that time. Out of his marital union with the local maidens, the Maguindanao
sultanate and Buayan sultanate came into existence.
19
Sultan Qudarat (Kudarat)
Sharif Muhammad Kabungsuan‟s great grandson who was the first Maguindanao ruler
spoken of in the tarsilas as “Sultan”.

Sharif Awliya
Local genealogies or tarsilas of Maguindanao speak of a certain Sharif Awliya, also from
Johore, who is said to have introduced Islam to the people of Mindanao around 1460.
He introduced Islam in a place not far from the present day Cotabato City; his story is wrapped
in myth. He is said to have come to Mindanao in the air in search for paradise. He married houri
(celestial maiden) and bore him a daughter called, Paramisuli, a name reserved to the royalty.

Sharif Maraja
According to Maguindanaon genealogies and traditions, he came from Johore to the area of
Slangan (Cotabato). Soon afterward he married Paramisuli, the daughter of Sharif Awliya.

PENETRATION OF ISLAM IN LANAO AND COTABATO

Some traditions suggest that Sharif Kabungsuan himself may have gone to the lake area and
converted the datus. Mranaw tarsilas are silent about this.

Sharif Alawi
According to the genealogies and traditions in Lanao, Sharif Alawi came possibly from
Cotabato to the mouth of the Tagoloan River in present-today Misamis Oriental, later proceeding to
Bukidnon. There is a scant evidence to prove this journey. Until now the coming of Islam to the
Mranaws is subject to speculation.

In many instances, global politics affected or indirectly the turn of events even faraway places.
Had not the Moors been defeated by the Spaniards in 1492, the Spaniards could not have come in
1521 and conquered the Philippines. Or had the Spaniards delayed their coming to the Philippines
for just half a century, there would be no such thing as the “only Christian country” in Asia.

ISLAM IN MANILA AND NEARBY AREAS

Aside from Manila, then known as Selurong7 Islam had already gained ground in Batangas,
Pampanga, Cagayan, Mindoro, Palawan, Catanduanes, Bonbon, Cebu, Oton, Laguna and other
districts. Preachers of Islam, all reportedly coming from Borneo came to teach the natives the
rudiments of the new religion.

What is metropolitan Manila today was formerly the bastion of Islam. The ruling of Manila was
not only related to the Bornean Sultan but was of Bornean origin.

RAJAH SULAYMAN
The nephew of Rajah Matanda, who was reported to have married a daughter of a Borneo
sultan and to have been Bornean origin.

RAJAH MATANDA

7
According to Brunei tradition, Selurong is said ―to be in the island of Luzon and the site of the present town Manila.‖
20
 The uncle of Rajah Sulayman who assisted him in ruling Manila during the arrival of the
Spaniards there in 1570.

RAJAH LAKANDULA
He was the Muslim ruler of Tondo.

AGE OF EXPLORATION / DISCOVERY / EXPEDITION / VOYAGES

In roughly two centuries, from about 1420 to 1620, the urge to discover new lands beyond
Europe reaches a new height. This coincided with the Age of Renaissance, when people became
extremely curious about the world around them.

During the age of exploration, Europe sea captains found a water route to India and
Southeast Asia, sailed around the world for the first time, and brought the knowledge of two new
continents to Europe.

The age of exploration marked the beginning of western expansion or led to the colonization
and settlement of many “unknown” lands. Some European countries like Spain and Portugal
acquired vast overseas empires during this period. New wealth, new resources, and new economic
outlook started the growth of the capitalist economy in the west.

MOTIVES FOR EXPLORATION

1. Europeans Seek Gold and Spices

The desire for wealth was the first motive that pushed Europeans to make long voyage of
exploration Europeans sought gold and silver as well as luxury goods like sugar and silk,
which came from Asia. They also coveted spices from Asia, which were needed to preserve
food, particularly meet.

2. Europeans Seek Alternative Routes

For centuries, Muslim traders had controlled the rich land and sea trade routes to Asia,
from Indian Ocean to Mediterranean Sea. In 1453 the Ottoman Turks during the sultanate of
Fatih Muhammad II took the Constantinople (later on Istanbul), ending the Byzantine Empire. The
Muslim now ruled from Danube River along the entire Black Sea.

3. Religious Zeal Encourages Expansion

A desire to spread Christianity was another reason for the European voyages to distant
parts of the world. The Christian nations in Europe believed that they had an obligation to
spread their faith. They even regarded this obligation as a destiny.

Reconquista (Reconquest)
The struggle and determination of the Europeans to recover Iberian Peninsula from the
Muslims and to destroy the religion of the Muslim and convert the people to Christianity.

PORTUGAL
The favorable location of Portugal on the sea route made the country seek a share in the
profitable overseas trade.

“Fall of Malacca” in 1511

21
 The wealth of Malacca aroused the envy of Portugal, and in 1511 Portuguese viceroy Alfonso
de Albuquerque captured the city.

SPAIN
Portugal‟s colonizing rival was Spain. Like Portugal, Spain hoped to reach India by sea. The
discovery of an Atlantic route to Asia was somewhat delayed because of the ignorance and fear of
the sea among navigators. Most of them believed that the world was flat.

TERRITORIAL DISPUTE BETWEEN SPAIN AND PORTUGAL

1. Papal Bull or Inter Caetera

It was issued by Pope Alexander VI to mediate the conflict between two Catholic
countries, Spain and Portugal on May 3, 1493, dividing the “unknown” world into two. Lands
to the west of a line he set were belonging to Spain, and lands to the east were to go to
Portugal.

2. Treaty of Tordesillas
King John of Portugal, however, threatened war against Spain, claiming the Spanish
monarchs had given too great an advantage. On July 1494, diplomats from two Catholic
countries met at Tordesillas (tor-day-SEE-yahs), Spain. They agreed to another dividing line,
370 leagues (about 1,100 miles) west of the Azores.

3. Treaty of Zaragoza
On April 22, 1529, Spain and Portugal signed this treaty under which won possession
of Moluccas after paying Spain of 350,000 gold ducats (more than $800.000 today).

Legaspi-Urdaneta Expedition
It was headed by Miguel Lopez De Legaspi and Fr. Andres De Urdaneta. The expedition
landed in Cebu in 1565 and had a blood compact with Sikatuna (Si Katunaw) at Gala, Bohol.

THE SPANISH-MORO WARS

The Spanish-Moro wars refers to numerous expedition to Muslim Moros lands in the
Philippines, the frequent Moro attacks on the Spanish-held territories and the naval battles that took
place between the Spaniards and the Muslim Moros from about the time of Legaspi‟s arrival in 1565
to the last days of Spanish rule in the Philippines.

FIRST STAGE (1565-1578)” Brunei Cut Off”

 It aimed the elimination supposed rival of Spain in the Philippine.
 It represented struggle between Spain and Brunei for political and commercial supremacy in
the Philippine archipelago.
 The Spaniards conquered Manila ruled by the Bornean aristocracy and eliminated Bornean
trade from Visayas and northern Mindanao.

1565 Spaniards captured a Bornean trading vessel in the vicinity of Bohol.

1569 Nine Spanish vessels successfully engaged 20 vessels manned by Bornean and Sulu Muslims
in Visayan waters.

Pangiran Buong Manis (Entitled Pangiran Sri Lela)

22
 He came to manila to solicit help from the Spaniards. He wanted the Brunei throne which he
claimed was by his brother Seif ur-Rijal.

1578 To ensure the Spanish hold on conquered territories in the Philippines, the Spaniards decided
to interfere in the Brunei dynastic quarrels and invaded Brunei and forced Sultan Seif ur-Rijal to flee.

April 20, 1578

Gov. Gen. Francisco De Sande declared Brunei a vassal state of Spain.

SECONDSTAGE (1578-1597) “Spanish to Establish Colony in Mindanao”

 It was marked by Spanish attempts at establishing a colony in Mindanao, reducing the
Muslim Moro rules in Mindanao to vassalage, and expelling foreign preachers of Islam while
encouraging the introduction of Christian missionaries.

Captain Esteban Rodriguez De Figueroa

He went to Jolo in 1578 then proceeded to Pulangi River in Mindanao but was unable to
contact the Maguindanao chiefs because of insufficient provision and strong river currents. He was
killed (struck in head by a kampilan) in Maguindanao on April 20, 1596.

Spanish policies toward the Moro were fully spelled out in the instruction of Gov. Gen.
Francisco De Sande to Captain Esteban Rodriguez De Figueroa in May of 1578. Rodriguez was
commissioned to subdue the Moro Sultanates of Sulu and Mindanao

1. Get them to acknowledge Spanish sovereignty over territory.

2. Promote trade with them, limiting their trade to the Philippine Island and exploring natural
resources of Moro land with the view to their commercial exploitation.
3. Bring an end to Moro raids on the Christianize settlements of the Visayas and southern Luzon.
4. Hispanize and Christianize the Moros, along the same lines followed with respect to other
lowland Filipino (Indios) groups.

Captain Gabriel De Rivera

He arrived at the Pulangi River on March 13, 1579 at the Pulangi River but failed to contact
Datu Dimasangkay.

Juan Ronquillo
In 1597, he was sent to the Spanish fort establish in Tampakan but was eventually forced to
abandon the fort because of the following reasons.
1. Difficulties in communication
2. Inadequate supplies
3. Constant loss of his men
PANDITA
It refers to those Muslim religious teachers during Spanish time

THIRD STAGE (1599-1635) “Retaliatory of the Moros”

 It witnessed the retaliatory actions of the Muslim Moro.
 The Moro decided to start counter offensive attacks on Spanish-held territories in the eastern
Visayas and some parts of Luzon; they took the advantage of the threat posed by the Dutch.
 The ternate aided the Maguindanao against the Spaniards.

23
1599 Magindanawn and Yakan Moros attacks in coastal towns of Panay, Negros, and Cebu.

Juan Gallinato
He attacks Jolo in 1602 to counteract Moro attacks.

Datu Buisan
On October 29 1603, he attacked the town of Leyte, burn the church, took captives,
amassed a large booty, sailed away to destroy other nearby ports, then returned and entered into a
blood compact with Leyte Datus.

Sultan Said Den Berkat (Sultan of Ternate)

He was captured in 1606 by the Spaniards and was brought to manila as prisoner.

Prior to Dutch demand for slaves, captives taken functioned as:

1. Rowers of the caracoas or praws (Moro war-boats)
2. Household retainers
3. Agricultural workers

Rajah Bongsu
He headed the attack on the view shipyard in Camarines. The Muslim Moro were able to
capture guns and ammunitions, iron and brass pieces, burn the dockyard and ships, threw great
amount of rice into the sea, and brought with him 300 captives including a Spanish lady named
Dona Lucia.

FOURTH STAGE (1635-1663) “Abandonment of Spanish Fort in Zamboanga”

 The fourth stage saw an acceleration of Spanish efforts in 1630‟s, „40‟s and „50‟s to control
Mindanao and Sulu, partly in response to Dutch activity.
 It began with the Spanish fortifications of Zamboanga in 1635 and ended with its
abandonment in 1663.
 The Spaniards decided to conquer the Sultanates of Magindanaw and Sulu.

“Fall of Lamitan” in 1637

The capital of famous Magindanaw Sultan, Qudarat, fell to Spanish arms in 1637.

“Fall of Jolo” in 1638

Jolo, defended by Sulu Moros aided by Moros from Basilan and warriors from Makassar (in
Sulawesi), fell in 1638.

Peace Treaties with Magindanaw in 1645 and Sulu in 1646

The Moros simply withdrew into the interior portions of their islands and waited for the
Spaniards to go away. In time, the Dutch threat and fear of Moro retaliation against Spanish-
controlled towns elsewhere in the Philippines obliged the Spaniards to conclude.

Sultan Qudarat
Treaty with Sultan Qudarat recognized that his sphere of influence extended along the entire
coastal area from Sibugay Bay (in Zamboanga Peninsula) to the Gulf of Davao, and into the interior
to include the Mranaw territory and the upper reaches and tributaries of the Pulangi River. Aside

24
from the present Republic, the Philippine has never had a more extensive state, governed by
Filipinos, than the Sultanate of Magindanaw in Qudarat‟s time.

Declaration of Jihad in 1656

Insults to the Sultan‟s person, persistent efforts at Christian conversion and their
provocations prompted Qudarat to declare jihad (struggle) against the Spaniards in 1656, and to
call on the Sultans of Sulu, Ternate and Makassar to help drive away European invader. The war was
bloody and inconclusive.

Withdrawal from Zamboanga in 1663

It ended only because the Spaniards in withdrew their forces from the Moluccas and
Zamboanga to Manila to meet an anticipated (but never realized) attacked by Koxinga.

Koxinga
A powerful Chinese warlord in Taiwan, thereafter, for over half a century, relative peace
existed between the Spaniards and the Moros.

FIFTH STAGE (1718-1762) “Reoccupation of Zamboanga”

 The fifth stage of the Spanish-Moro Wars began when the Spaniards moved to reoccupy their
abandoned post at Zamboanga in 1718 and rebuild its fort the following year.
 The fifty-five year interlude between the Spanish withdrawal and strengthen Islamic
institutions. This was adverse to Christian missionary ambitions, especially those of the
Jesuits who agitated the re-establishment of Spanish power in Mindanao.

Sultan of Sulu, Azim-ud0Din I, “The Catholic Sultan of Sulu”

He permitted Jesuits to open mission in Jolo. This led to the Sultan‟s being deposed by his
brother, though Azim-ud-Din was able to flee to Manila where he was baptized in 1571. His Catholic
name was Fernando I.

Juan de Arechedera
He was the Bishop of Nueva Segovia, who was the interim governor general during the alleged
conversion of Sultan Azim-u-Din I to Catholicism on April 28, 1750 at Paniqui, Tarlac.

Arguments for his false conversion:

1. When he was a young man, he had gone to Java, where, in a Qur‟anic school at the outskirts
of Batavia, he was bale to obtain a good Islamic education.
2. When the belongings of the Sultan were searched after his arrest, seven Arabic and Islamic
books, including Qur‟an, were found, but not a Christian book.
3. In 1764, he was finally able to return in Jolo in 1764, he resumed his Islamic practices as if,
for all purposes.
4. In his old age, he was given a title reserved only for the caliphs of Islam,
AmirulMu’minin(Commander of the Faithful)

October 6, 1762
British invasion and brief occupation of Manila beginning in 1762 resulted once more in a
hiatus in hostilities between the Spaniards and the Moros.

Dawsonne Drake
He was the British Governor of Manila who entered into a treaty with Sultan Azim-ud-Din I.
25
SIXTH STAGE (1851-1898) “The Decline of the Sultanates”
 Witnessed the decline of the Sultanates.
 The sixth stage and last stage in the Spanish-Moro Wars during the Spanish regime occurred
in the nineteenth century when the Sulu Archipelago became the focus of European rivalry.
 The Spaniards were alarmed and felt that these activities of other European powers in the
Southern Philippines posed a threat to their hold on the Archipelago.

Gov. Gen. Antonio de Urbiztondo

He headed the Spanish attack on Jolo in 1851, captured the town, and claimed Sulu was a
protectorate, sealing the arrangement with a treaty forced upon Sultan Muhammad Pulalun.

By 1860, the Moro resistance on Mindanao had become so:

1. Weakened by war.
2. Intrigue that the Spaniards were able to organize a “Government of Mindanao.”
3. Provided for expansion of Jesuit missionary work on the Island so as to “secure the
conversion of the races which have not yet been subjected.”

January 22, 1878

Sulu Sultan Jamalul Azam leased his territories in North Borneo (Sabah) to the British North
Borneo Company represented by Gustavus von Overbeck.

Implications of Spanish-Moro Wars

1. The Spanish-Moro Wars polarized the Philippines into north and south.
2. The Spanish-Moro Wars divided the people into two religious communities, the Muslims and
the Christians.
3. It led to the so called minority and majority relations.
4. It drained the resources of both the Moros and the Spaniards

MARAHUI KOTA or FORT OF MARAHUI

In Spanish, letter “h” is silently pronounced; therefore it is read as “Marawi.” In 1895, Datu
Ama-i-Pakpak together with his valiant fighters defended this Kota against the invading military might
of the Spanish guardia civil headed by no other than the Spanish Governor General Ramon Blanco.

ADVENT OF THE AMERICANS: “MANDATE IN MOROLAND”

 America‟s economy grew tremendously after the civil war.
 In search for Market and economic dumping ground extra capital and surplus products.
 Most of African and Asian lands are occupied by European colonizers.
 Spain was the weakest among European colonizers.

The American imperialists had to make American-Spanish relations deteriorate to justify the
declaration of war against Spain.

DUPUY DE LOME
The Spanish ambassador in USA who wrote a secret letter of personal criticism against US
Pres. William McKinley.

Issue on the maltreatment of the Americans in Cuba.

26
Maine Incident (February 15, 1898)
American battleship Maine, Havana, Cuba and 246 of its crew members died.

April 21, 1898

USA formally declared war against Spain.

TREATY OF PARIS (December 10, 1898)

The Philippines was sold to USA by the Spaniards with an amount of 20 million Mexican
dollars.

Eugenio Montero Rios

He was the president of the Spanish Commission. In his letter to American commissioner
William R. Day dated on November 23, 1898. He clearly wrote:
“Spain reserving to the south of this sea the Islands of Mindanao and
Sulu has never formed a part of the Philippine archipelago proper”

“McKinley‟s Benevolent Assimilation Proclamation” (1899)

“The Philippines is not ours to exploit, but to develop, to civilize to

educate to train in the science of self-government. This is the path we
must follow or be recreant to a mighty trust committed to us”

“White Man‟s Burden” and “Manifest Destiny”

 American ethnocentrism and American syndrome characteristics made by them
justification and bases to acquire more colonies.
 Americans believe their ways are better and must be imposed whether non-whites
agree or not.

MORO PROBLEM
This was coined by the American colonial government which means how to succeed
effectively and meaningfully in integrating, controlling, assimilating and incorporating the Moros and
their governments into the Philippine political system.

THE EVOLUTION OF AMERICAN POLICIES TOWARDS THE MOROS

This was the effective period of the American Mandate in Moroland or the period when the
American authorities were in direct charge of shaping and implementing policies in Moroland that
extended from May 1899 (when the first US Army contingents landed in Jolo) until May 1920 (when
the Department of Mindanao and Sulu was abolished as a governmental unit). This evolution of
American policies towards the Moros developed in three successive periods namely:
I. MILITARY PERIOD (1899-1903)/ Military Pacification of the Moros
If ever Americans succeeded in incorporating the Moros, this was because of a combined
military approach and its policy of attraction.
Militarily, there was the occupation/ appearance of US forces in Moroland. And then, because
of the desires/interests of the Americans to secure Moro acknowledgement on US sovereignty in
Moroland, to keep them neutral in the Philippine-American war being fought in Northern Luzon, to

27
keep them peaceful, etc. and more importantly, to win Moro friendship and neutrality by diplomacy
through the implementation of “non-interference policy”, the Americans, represented by General
John Bates, negotiated and entered into treaty with the Sulu Sultan Jamal ul-Kiram on August 20,
1899 known as Kiram-Bates Treaty. Agreements were made also with other datus in Mindanao.
KIRAM-BATES TREATY (August 20, 1899)
The treaty was signed on August 20, 1899 between Sultan Jamalul Kiram II of the Sulu
Sultanate and Brig. Gen. John C. Bates, representing the United States. The Sultan signed the treaty
in the firm belief that it signaled the safety of the homeland and the expulsion of the American
colonialist. The Americans had a different motive in mind. They made use of the treaty to usher in
eventual occupation of the Bangsamoro homeland.
It was chiefly used by the Americans to prevent the opening of another battle front in
Mindanao and Sulu while they were battling the forces of Gen. Emilio Aguinaldo in Luzon.
What the Treaty achieved was the cooperation of the Sulu Sultanate because according to the
Treaty:
1. The Moros seemingly acknowledged the US sovereignty.
2. The Moros agreed to help the US suppress piracy and apprehend charged with crimes
against non-Moros.
And on the side of the Americans:
1. The Americans agreed to respect the dignity and authority of the Sulu Sultan and other
datus.
2. The Americans agreed to pay certain salaries to the Sulu Sultan and his principal chiefs.
3. And most importantly, the Americans agreed not to interfere with the Moro religion.
The Moros were made to believe that this Treaty had kept the Americans out of their internal affairs
and guaranteed their way of life. In other words, from 1899 to 1903:
1. There was a period of peace as far as Moro-American relations are concerned.
2. The Americans were given enough time to settle themselves militarily (like building strong
fortifications).
3. The Americans were given enough time to explore the riches of Moroland.
After the defeat of Aguinaldo‟s forces, if not, after the end of the Philippine-American war
(March 23, 1901), the ugly face of the American occupation started to unfold in Moroland. Like the
Spaniards, the American forces had a hidden agenda – the economic exploitation of the people and
resources of their colonies. And to exploit the riches of Mindanao and Sulu would require the
effective incorporation of Moroland into the orbit of US control.
Besides, the Americans had realized that the American mandate in Moroland, which was “to
develop, to civilize, to educate, and to train the Moros in the science of self-government”, was only
mildly implemented because of the limitations imposed by the policy of non-interference. Such policy
prevented any vigorous efforts of developing, civilizing, educating and training the Moros in the
science of democratic self-government.
The American army authorities were generally unhappy with the non-interference policy
because aside from preventing them to fully implement the American mandate in Moroland, the
Americans find some features of the Moro society “not worth preserving” like slavery, the tyrannical
28
relationship of the datus and their followers, of which, these had offended the American sense of
justice and good order. Such features, as far as the Americans are concerned, have to be changed,
destroyed, if not eradicated.
Also, because of the limitations imposed by the non-interference policy; because the
American mandate in Moroland could not be fully implemented; because of the need to change,
destroy, if not eradicate those features of Moro society “not worth preserving” and because of the
eagerness of the Americans to take a direct hand in implementing the mandate, the Kiram-Bates
Treaty was abrogated/annulled unilaterally by the Americans and then created the MORO PROVINCE,
where the US decided to abandon the policy on non-interference and exercise a direct rule over the
Moros.

PALATIKO
It refers to those Mranaws who were “friendly” with the Spaniards and served as guides, spies
and collaborators with the Spaniards against their fellow Mranaws.

II. MORO PROVINCE (1903-1913)

This was the ten-year transition period from military to civil rule from where the Moros are
being prepared for civil administration and consequently their eventual integration into the national
body politics. This was a military government run/led by veteran US army officers in the America‟s
Indian campaign, such as (these were the three successive military governors of the Moro Province):
1. Gen. Leonard Wood (1903-1906)
2. Gen. Tasker Bliss (1906-1909)
3. Gen. John Pershing (1909-1913)
ADMINISTRATIVE ORGANIZATION OF THE MORO PROVINCE

29
 Insular Government
(Governor General and Philippine Commission)

MORO PROVINCE
(Governor and Legislative Council)

Districts
(District Governors-District Board)

DAVAO COTABATO LANAO SULU ZAMBOANGA

5 Organized 2 Organized 2 Organized

Municipalities: 3 Organized 3 Organized
Municipalities: Municipalities: Municipalities: Municipalities:
1. Davao 1. Cotabato 1. Malabang 1. Jolo 1. Zamboanga
2. Mati 2. Makar 2. Iligan 2. Siasi 2. Dapitan
3. Cateel 3. Cagayan de Sulu
4. Baganga
5. Caraga 18 Tribal
Wards 13 Tribal
Wards
9 Tribal 5 Tribal
Wards Wards
6 Tribal
Wards

56 Sub-
districts

There are other reasons and factors that had influenced the decision of the Americans to
abandon the “policy of non-interference” and adopt the “policy of direct rule”.
1. The insistence of Filipino nationalists that Moroland was inseparable from the Philippine
nation.
2. Both the Americans and Filipinos had fully realized the importance of natural resources of
Mindanao and Sulu to the economic future of the country.
3. Mindanao could be a market of American goods, a source of Philippine export goods, a source
of investment and capital, etc.
Anyway, the Moro Province offered more opportunities to implement the American mandate.
What the American mandate. What the American did to those features of Moro society “not worth
preserving” were the following:
1. Slavery was illegalized. But consequently threatened the politico-economic structure of the
traditional society.
2. The common people were protected from the tyrannies of their traditional leaders. From the
depredations of lawless persons and unscrupulous traders.

30
 3. American laws and concept of justice were introduced. But, as a consequence again,
bypassing Moro courts and the refusal to recognize the customary judicial functions of the
datus offended the Moro sensibilities.
4. Payment of taxes was imposed. But this was disliked because the payment was made to
foreign and infidel government.
5. The concept of separation of state and religion was introduced. But the Americans failed to
realize that among Muslims, there was no separation between the state and religion.
6. Abolition of sultanate system and the scrapping of traditional titles. The Americans regarded
the sultans as outside the system and their police as well as judicial powers were
grabbed/usurped from them by the Americans.
7. Introduction of American System of Education. It was disliked by the Moros because it meant
the inculcation of Christian teachings and values which were believed to alienate their
children from their religion and traditional way of life.
8. Introduction of new concept and land ownership system. The issuance of capitalistic land
laws which were all legal props used by the Americans to dispossess the Moros and other
indigenous settlers of Mindanao from their lands, in favor of private capitalists.
Examples of Capitalistic Land Laws and Policies
1. Land Registration Act No. 496 (November 1902). That required the registration of lands
occupied by private persons or corporations; application for registration of title shall be in
writing, signed and sworn to by applicant.
2. Public Land Act No. 718 (April 4, 1903). This made void land grants from Moro sultans or
datus or non-Christian tribes, when made without government authority or consent.
3. Public Land Act No.926 (October 1903). This declared as public (government) land, all lands
not registered under Act No. 496.
4. Mining Law (1905). This declared all public lands in the Philippines as free, open for
exploitation, occupation and purchase by citizens of Philippines and the US.
5. Cadastral Act of 1907. This allowed the educated natives (indios and non-indios),
bureaucrats, American land speculators who were more familiar with bureaucratic process to
legalize claims usurped through fraudulent surveys.

Consequences and Results

All these policies were resented and disliked by the Moros and had caused them to resist the
American rule. The period of Moro Province was spent in fighting the Moro groups.
From 1902 to 1913, there were more than 160 violent encounters between the Moros and
the American soldiers that resulted to more than 20, 000 Moro casualties. Most of these bloody
encounters took place during the Pershing‟s Punitive Expedition in Lake Lanao. Before he became
the third and last military governor of the Moro Province, Captain John Pershing was in command of
Camp Vicar, Mindanao (from June 30, 1902 to May 16, 1903), he was in-charge of Moro affairs for
Lake Lanao District and conducted all negotiations with Moros during the period.
Some of the Battles fought between the Moros and the Americans from 1902 to 1913 (around the
establishment of Moro Province)

LAKE LANAO AREA

Date Event Description and Casualties

31
May 2, 1902 Battle of Bayang There were 300 to 400 Moros killed and 8 Americans
were killed and 43 wounded
September 18, 1902 Battle of Bayabao
September 18, 1902 Battle of Ganan 30 Moros were killed, 30 Moros wounded but no
American casualties
Sept. 28 to Oct. 2, Battle of Masiu 50 Moros were killed, 2 Americans were killed
1902
April 6 to 8, 1903 Battle of Bacolod 120 Moros were killed
April 9, 1903 Battle of Kalawi 23 Moros were killed and 12 Americans wounded
May 2 to 10, 1903 Battle of Taraka 250 Moros were killed, 2 Americans were killed and 5
wounded
1903 Lanao Uprising It was led by Ampuan-a-Gaus lasted until 1916

SULU AND PALAWAN

Date Event Description and Casualties
October 1903 to March1904 Sulu Fight Sulu fight opened by Panglima
Hassan
1904 Sulu Fight Led by DatuUsap and Datu Pala
which lasted until 1905
1906 Sulu Fight Defiance led by Jikiri and got as
far as Basilan
May 1906 Battle of Bud Dajo 600 Moros were killed
1911 Battle of Bud Dajo Led by Jailani
1913 Battle of Bud Bagsak 300 Moros were killed
1913 Battle in Talipao, Sulu Led by DatuSabtal
1911 Battle in Balabak It was happened Balabak Island
in south Palawan

COTABATO AREA
Date Event Description and Casualties
March 1904 Cotabato Resistance US campaign against Datu Ali
where 500 of his men were
killed
1911 Cotabato Resistance Led by DatuAlamada and
DatuAmpatuan lasted only until
1913

These Moro uprisings and resistance were believed to be failure because of the absence of
weaponry, some of them were disarmed, and others collaborated because of personal advantage.

III. DEPARTMENT OF MINDANAO AND SULU (1914 to 1920)

32
 This was the six-year period when the process of bringing Mindanao and Sulu into the general
governmental framework of the Philippines was accelerated. The administrative control over Moro
affairs was also rapidly transferred to civilian American, with Frank Carpenter as the first American
civilian governor of the Department, assisted by Christian Filipinos who occupied important
administrative responsibilities including the vice-governor post.
It was during this period that Frank Carpenter implemented and adopted the “policy of
attraction”. Under this policy, it increased the implementation of American programs in Mindanao.
Also, under this program was the grant of government scholarships to Moro students, pensionados.
Reasons for the Establishment of Department of Mindanao and Sulu

Jones Law of 1916

The implemented by US President Woodrow Wilson, in which states that “the Philippine
independence would be granted as soon as stable government could be established”.

Filipinization Policy
This was the policy implemented by the American governor general in the Philippines, Francis
B. Harrison, which means for the Christian Filipinos in north Philippines (meaning according to their
own context) “the gradual transfer of civil administration of the Philippine government from the
hands of the Americans to the hands of the Christian Filipinos”.

However, Filipinization Policy for the Moros or in the context of the Moros, means “the gradual
transfer of Moro affairs and government from the hands of the Americans to the hands of the
Christian Filipinos” which was accelerated and implemented during the Department of Mindanao
and Sulu.

AMERICAN POLICIES/ PROGRAMS

During this period the American government encouraged both American and Christian Filipino
settlers to migrate to Moroland believing that their agricultural knowledge and industriousness will
provide both the example and incentive for the Moros to become more productive farmers.
It was also during this period the Americans declared Mindanao as “land of promise” –a land
which promised solutions to some of the economic, social, and political problems in the north
Philippines.

1. Opening-up of Government Subsidized Re-settlement Programs/Projects in Mindanao (the

government subsidized resettlement projects were initially called AGRICULTURAL COLONIES)
In early part of American period, a small number of Filipinos from the north were moving to
Mindanao. But what had caused the massive influx of migrants from Luzon and Visayas to Mindanao
was the establishment of these government subsidized re-settlement projects. That is why this act of
the government is called “systematic and legalized land grabbing”.
Christian Filipinos from the north were encouraged to settle in Mindanao. This was, at the
same time, conforming to the US government‟s policy of “Philippines for the Filipinos” that begun in
1913.
In other words, the primary motives and reasons why re-settlement projects/policies were
opened-up, causing the massive influx of migrant settlers to Mindanao are the following:

33
 1. To acquire land.
2. To exploit the Mindanao‟s natural resources.
3. To amalgamate (to mix/ to combine) or the “Filipinization” the Moros and non-Christian
tribes and consequently remove the danger of possible separation of Mindanao from
Philippines.
4. The Philippine government wanted to overwhelm (to overcome completely by force of
numbers) the Moros who had been continuously resenting and resisting the Philippine
government.
5. To minoritizethe Muslim population, because by increasing the number of Christian
Filipinos will cause the shrinking of Muslim population.
The general result of this re-settlement projects/ programs, dubbed as “systematic and
legalized land grabbing”, the Moros and the indigenous inhabitants of Mindanao were dispossessed,
displaced, and minoritized in their own land. This is the basis of the Moros for their rightful claim of
their ancestral domain.

IV. BUREAU OF NON-CHRISTIAN TRIBES: DOMINANCE OF CHRISTIAN FILIPINOS IN THE

GOVERNANCE OF MORO AFFAIRS
In May 1920, the Department of Mindanao and Sulu was abolished and the Bureau of Non-
Christian Tribes was created on February 5, 1920 which was under the Department of Interior and
Teofisito Guingona was the first chief director. This was practically dominated by Christian Filipinos
who were appointed to important local government positions in the Muslim areas like provincial
governors and constabulary commanders.
Resettlements During American Period
1. 1913: Act 2254 Agricultural Colonies Act creating agricultural colonies in Cotabato Valley
(Pikit, Pagalungan, Glan)
2. 1914: PC Act 2280 creating agricultural colony in Momungan (Balo-i), Lanao
3. 1919: PC Act 2206 authorizing provincial boards to manage colonies. Zamboanga opened
Lamitan; Sulu opened Tawi-Tawi; Bukidnon opened Marilog; Cotabato opened Salunayan &
Maganoy.
4. 1919-1930: Resettlement done by Interisland Migration Division of the Bureau of Labor.
Opened Kapalong, Guiangga, Tagum, Lupon and Baganga in Davao; Labangan in Zamboanga
and Lamitan in Basilan; Cabadbaran, Butuan and Buenavista in Agusan; Momungan and
Kapatagan valley in Lanao. Brought in more settlers to Pikit and Pagalungan.
RANAW PETITION OF 1934
It was a petition and declaration from the ulama, qadi, imams, and datus of Lanao addressed
to the Governor General of the Philippines Frank Murphy asking for the restoration of their
independence (Mindanao and Sulu) separate from the independence of the Filipinos in Luzon and
Visayas. It was signed on Friday, July 13, 1934 and its principal signatory was Shaykh Abdulhamid
Bogabong, the Qadi of Unayan.

DIMAKALING
He was a Mranaw hero who defied and opposed the American government in 1930s. He
fought the American soldiers valiantly and killed on November 19, 1935 in the jungle of the
municipality of Kapay in the province of Lanao.
34
 THE MOROS AND THE COMMONWEALTH PERIOD (1936 to 1946)
The agenda of Americans was unveiled when President McKinley stated in the Benevolent
Assimilation Proclamation that “the Philippines are not ours to exploit but to educate, civilize and
train in the science of self-government”. The Americans promised independence to the Filipinos “as
soon as a stable government is established in the Philippines”. When the Filipinos insisted for their
independence eventually the United States created the Tydings-McDuffie Act which provided a ten-
year transition period for the Filipinos under a commonwealth government; after which genuine
Philippine independence will be granted.
The first step to be taken was the holding of constitutional convention to draft a constitution
for the Commonwealth Government. On July 10, 1934, 202 delegates to the constitutional
convention were elected. Only four Moros were elected, namely, Datu Blah Sinsuat and Minandang
Piang of Cotabato, Arolas Tulawie of Sulu and Alauya Alonto of Lanao. The other Moroland delegates,
Tomas Cabili of Lanao and Jose Montano of Sulu, were Christians. The election of delegates
The reactions of the Moros were varied. Some were in favor of the inclusion of Moros in
Philippine government, they are known as “Filipinists”. However, majority of the Moros was not in
favor of their inclusion in the Philippine government which was generally administered and ruled by
the Christian Filipinos. Many Moros believed if the Americans would grant independence to the
Christian Filipinos, they should also grant separate independence for the Moros. They would prefer to
remain under the Americans rather than to be included in the Philippine Republic governed by the
Christian Filipinos. Moro leaders gathered in different areas in Moroland and wrote petitions and
letters addressed to the United Sates expressing their determined refusal to be incorporated in the
Philippine Republic.
Resettlements During Commonwealth Period
1. 1935: Act 4197 Quirino-Recto Colonization Act or Organic Charter of Organized Land
Settlement
2. 1939: Act 441 Creating National Land Settlement Administration (NLSA). Opened Koronadal
Valley (Lagao,Tupi, Marbel and Polomolok), Allah Valley (Banga, Norallah and Surallah) and
Mallig plains in Isabela.
THE JAPANESE INVASION (1942-1945)
The main motivation of Japan on her Asian expansion could be understood in the slogan
“ASIA FOR THE ASIANS”. Japan saw herself as leader of a self-proclaimed mandate of liberating Asia
from the West. Japan wanted to become a leader of Asian nations. It established the GREATER ASIA
CO-PROSPERITY SPHERE where Asian countries would become cooperating members of the union.

Pres. Manuel L. Quezon (1935-1944)

The existence of the commonwealth government would be interrupted by the outbreak of
World War II. Pres. Quezon would then leave the Philippines for Australia and eventually to United
States. There, he continued serving as president of the de jure government.

Pres. Jose P. Laurel (1943-1945)

He served as the president of the de facto government of the Japanese-sponsored republic
being set-up by the Japanese.
The Moros saw the Japanese as another group of invaders and therefore had to be fought.
35
United States Army Forces in the Far East (USAFFE)
It was activated on July 26, 1941 of which Gen. Douglas McArthur was designated
commanding general. Numbering by tens of thousands, the Moros enlisted in the USAFFE in fighting
of the Japanese invasion.

Moro Bolo Battalion

A militia force in Lanao, guerillas were both Muslims and Christians, with the Mranaws
resorting to their much tested ambush and hit-and-run tactics. Those who were not accommodated
in the regular USAFFE joined in the guerilla battalions just to become involved in the war endeavors.

Among those who figured prominently in the war were the following:

1. Lt. Salipada Pendatun

He was appointed governor of Cotabato by Pres. Sergio Osmena and later on won a
senate seat in 1946 election.

2. Datu Udtog Matalam

He was appointed as the Executive Committee of the Philippine Veterans‟ Legion in
Manila.

3. Gumbay Piang

4. Manalao Mindalano
He was elected as congressman in 1946 election.

There were many Moro leaders who fought in the side of the Americans; those who
cooperated with the Japanese were equally many with the following reasons:

1. It was making the best out of a bad situation.

2. The cooperation as serving the best interest of the people or to ease the suffering of their
people.

Some of the following Moro leaders cooperated with the Japanese and accepted positions in
the Japanese Puppet Government, and actually benefited from this cooperation, especially in terms
of material and educational rewards.

1. Alauya Alonto of Lanao 4. Ombra Amilbangsa of Sulu

2. Sinsuat Balabaran 5. Gulamu Rasul of Sulu
3. Minandang Piang of 6. Salih Utulalum of
Cotabato Sulu

ISSUE ON COLLABORATION
Right after the war, some pro-Japanese leaders were charged with treason before the
People‟s Court for collaboration. When Pres. Manuel Roxas assumed the presidency in 1946, he
solved the collaboration issue by proclaiming amnesty for all the political prisoners. He himself was a
“collaborator”, for he served well in the Philippine Puppet Government under Pres. Jose P. Laurel.

36
 AFTER-EFFECTS OF JAPANESE OCCUPATION IN MINDANAO
1. It welded to Muslim-Christian alliances.
2. Significant increase of monied wealth in Moroland.
3. Moros became armed again.

THE MOROS UNDER THE 1946 PHILIPPINE REPUBLIC

The Philippine independence from United States of America was granted on July 4, 1946.
The newly born Philippine Republic had seen Mindanao as a LAND OF PROMISE –a land
which promised solutions to some of the economic, social and political problems in the north.
Policies towards the Moros
1) Maintaining peace and order.
2) Promoting Moro INTEGRATION into the mainstream of Philippine life.
3) Appropriating modicum amounts of funds for improved communication, health facilities, and
other public services, and economic development in Moroland.

Resettlement After the Creation of Republic of the Philippines

1. 1949: Rice and Corn Production Administration (RCPA) created to promote rice and corn
production. Opened Buluan in Cotabato and Maramag-Wao in Bukidnon-Lanao border.
2. 1950: Land Settlement Development Corporation (LASEDECO) Opened Tacurong, Isulan,
Bagumbayan, Part of Buluan, Sultan sa Barongis, Ampatuan
3. 1951: Economic Development Corps (EDCOR) for captured and surrendered Huks, opened
Arevalo in Sapad, Lanao del Norte; Genio in Alamada, Gallego and Barira in Buldon, all in
Cotabato, and two others in Isabela and Quezon.
4. 1954: RA 1160 created National Resettlement and Rehabilitation Administration (NARRA)
5. 1963: Land Authority inaugurated land reform, also managed resettlement
6. 1971: RA 6389 created Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR), did resettlement thru the
Bureau of Resettlement. It administered 37 settlements all over the country, 18 of them in
Mindanao in the ten provinces of Tawi-Tawi (Balimbing-Bongao), Zamboanga del Norte (Liloy,
Salug, Sindangan), Bukidnon (Maramag, Pangantukan, Kalilangan), Agusan del Sur
(Prosperidad, Talacogon), Davao del Norte (Sto Tomas, Panabo, Asuncion), Lanao del Norte
(Sapad, Nunungan, Karomatan), Lanao del Sur (Wao, Lumba-a-Bayabao, Bubong, Butig,
Lumbatan, Bayang, Binidayan, Pagayawan, Tubaran), North Cotabato (Carmen, Alamada),
Maguindanao (Buldon, Upi-Dinaig) and Sultan Kudarat (Columbio, Tulunan, Isulan,
Bagumbayan, Surallah).

MORO DEFIANCE
Saubing and Binang
In 1947 they refused to be cooperative with the government. They started engaging
government troops sent to quell them in Sulu. The situation deteriorated further when other Moro
fighters joined in insurrection.

Hadji Kamlon
By about 1951, rebellion was launched by Hadji Kamlon with more than hundred followers in
Sulu. For almost eight years the government engaged Kamlon and, during the final assault, 5,000
ground troops were deployed along with naval, air and mortar supports. Logistical expenditures, after

37
the final inventory, amounted to 185 million pesos. Despite all this cost, Kamlon could not be routed
or captured. He finally gave up conditionally due to advancing age.

Abdulmajid Panondiongan and Tawantawan

Two datus in Lanao were also proving very troublesome to the government. They resisted and
succeeded in inflicting considerable casualties on pursuing government troops.

Hadjal Uh
In 1961, he headed the move to fight the government with the ultimate aim of liberating the
Moro homeland. He sought the resignation of Christian governor of Sulu and called upon the people
to refuse to pay taxes. But the movement was cut short when the leader was finally captured.

Cong. Ombra Amilbangsa

In 1961, he sponsored a bill in Philippine Congress which sought to declare the
independence of the Province of Sulu. The Bill did not merit the attention of his colleagues in
Congress and his action was simply dismissed as “attention-calling.”

COMMISSION ON NATIONAL INTEGRATION (CNI)

It was abolished in 1975, its only notable accomplishment having been award of college
scholarships to many students from the cultural minorities.

MINDANAO STATE UNIVERSITY (MSU)

It was established on September 1, 1961 through the Republic Act 1387, authored by the
late Senator Domocao A. Alonto, as one of the government responses to the so-called “Mindanao
Problem.” The original mission of the university was anchored on INSTRUCTION, RESEARCH and
EXTENSION. The 1954 Congressional committee conceptualized it as a social laboratory for national
integration.

SABAH DISPUTE, OPLAN MERDEKEA AND THE JABIDAH MASSACRE

The Philippines‟ basis for the non-recognition of Malaysia lay in the former‟s territorial claim to
Sabah, a claim that Malaysia, backed up by Britain, naturally disputed. Obviously, Macapagal‟s
refusal to recognize Malaysia was a tactical maneuver to force the latter to recognize the Philippine
claim to Sabah in exchange for Philippine recognition of the British-inspired Malaysia.

 Pres. Ferdinand Marcos, during his inauguration as president, promised to re-establish

diplomatic relations with Malaysia. Philippines re-established diplomatic relations with
Malaysia on June 3, 1966.
No sooner had the Philippines re-established diplomatic relations with Malaysia than a bitter
controversy arose between them. In accordance with the understanding between the two countries,
the Philippines renewed its claim over Sabah, the former North Borneo. The claim was based on the
following historical facts:

38
 1. The “Sultan of Sulu acquired sovereignty over North Borneo (Sabah) from the Sultan of
Brunei in the early 17 th century” (in 1674 according to Brunei Tarsila while 1704
according British Alexander Darymple) whom the former helped in suppressing the
rebellion.
2. In 1878, the Sultan of Sulu Jamalul Ahlam leased8 North Borneo (Sabah) to an Austrian
national, Gustavus von Overbeck, who organized the North Borneo Company with Alfred
Dent, an Englishman, as his business partner. The Company administered the disputed
territory from 1878 to 1946 and during this period, it paid the Sultan of Sulu an annual
rental of 5,000 Malayan dollars, which was increased in 1903 to 5,300 dollars.
3. The fact that the disputed territory was leased by the Sultan of Sulu shows that he
exercised sovereignty over the territory.
4. In 1903, the North Borneo British Company, a private company, asked the “Sultan of Sulu
to execute a confirmatory deed to confirm the contract of 1878 (Lease Agreement) and
expressly recognized that the Sultan of Sulu was sovereign in Sabah.”
5. The annexation of North Borneo (Sabah) by Britain in 1946, eleven days after the
Philippine independence, was illegal in the sense that the North Borneo Company, from
which the British Government took Sabah, had no right of sovereignty over Sabah.
6. Britain had no right to turn over Sabah to Malaysia in 1963 because she, Britain, had no
sovereign right over Sabah.
On the other hand, the Malaysian government anchored its claim over Sabah on the fact that:
1. Great Britain turned over Sabah to Malaysia in 1963, thereby making Malaysia the heir of
Britain to Sabah.
2. In a plebiscite conducted in 1963 under the auspices of the United Nations, the Sabahans
voted to be a part of the Federation of Malaysia.
3. The Philippine Constitution does not include Sabah in the delineation of the geographical
limits of the Philippines.

ORIGIN OPLAN MERDEKEA AND THE JABIDAH MASSACRE

National Intelligence Coordinating Agency (NICA). Watching any move to create a fundamentalist
group in Sabah.

RAFAEL ILETO – he attended intelligence training in Israel in 1963 – used Israel-made gadgets in
Sabah – “INFORMATION GATHERING” –ordered CAPT. SOLPERINO TITONG – became driver of Tun
Mustapha, the Chief Minister of Sabah.

ONE MISSION: TO DESTABILIZE SABAH AND THEN TAKE OVER

 Rather than wait it out of international DIPLOMACY.

 Swift but risky option – Sabah rightfully belonged to the Philippines.

MARCOS was not VOCAL

8
The contract of 1878 used the Tausog word padjak which, according to Dutch, American, and Spanish scholars,
means lease. The British, quite naturally, translate the word to mean cession. It is, however, surprising to note that the
Company and the British Government paid the Sultan of Sulu an annual rental of 5,300 Malayan dollars up to 1963. If the
North Borneo had been ceded to the Company, why the payment of an annual rental?
39
  Anti-smuggling Agreement – controlled Sabah-Sulu Trade. Marcos was silent. WHY? He could
easily deny links with any illegal move against Sabah.
 In 1967 the Armed Forces of the Philippines was the most experienced in Southeast Asia
after suppressing the Huk rebellion and Philippine economy was in good shape.

Named by his loyalists!

“PROJECT MERDEKA” operation to invade Sabah

Why JABIDAH?
 commando group (stunningly beautiful woman in Moro tradition)
 Jabidah referred to SABAH – likened to a woman desired by the AFP.

1967 – THE START OF THE INFLITRATION PROCESS

SECRET MISSION

MAJ. EDUARDO MARTELINO. He studied at Infantry School in Fort Benning in the United States; Phil.
Air Force and Defense Information, USA. He was the head of the mission who has a very close link
with Marcos.

ROLANDO ABADILLA – 2nd Lt. Fresh grad of PMA. Early recruit. He came from Ilocos.
MARCOS‟ time – to be an Ilocano –sure ticket to a good position.

Recruitment
Medico-legal team – go with troops during the invasion – Phil. Const. recruited students from
Cebu Institute of Technology. As long as they speak Tausog! – Christian 3rd year Basilan. –
Piece of land if succeeded. Three medical students. –after massacre they joined in the
mopping-up of Corregidor. They saw lifeless bodies.
Two survivors – Jibin Arula; tasked to silence the other one – mission accomplished.

Infiltrating Sabah
 17 men – forest rangers, mailmen and police. – Psychological warfare – convince the
Filipinos to secede from Malaysia.

MARTELINO – went three times to Sabah – Tambisan Point, Lahad Datu and Samporna.

LINO BICOLAN – smuggler – Cavite to Sabah. Millionaire. Owned the ships. Financiers of the
operation – He became governor of Cavite 1972-1980.

CIVIL AFFAIRS OFFICE (head Martelino) – contact of LINO

40
 Civil Affairs Office
(DND)- Martelino
- Lino(financier)

Operation
Merdeka -
invade Sabah

Jabidah -
Commando
Group

 Abolished the CAO (distance from Jabidah)

MARCOS

DND U.Sec.
Manuel Syquio

MARTELINO

SIMUNUL TO CORREGIDOR

Simunul – recruitment happened. Near to Samporna – you can see the light of Malaysia.

August to December 1967 – set up camp (Martelino) – 200 men aged 18-30 –promised ELITE UNIT
OF ARMED FORCES – sense of power (convinced)

CAMP SOPHIA – Martelino‟s 2nd wife name

Badges – crossbones and black skull with a drip of blood on the forehead.

SALIH UTUTALUM – 1967 – convinced as Civic Actions. Doubt because of the officers trained in
Korea, Vietnam and Israel.

MARTELINO – good looking, intelligent and charming – converted to Islam and assumed the name
ABDUL LATIF!

1967 – Marcos visited Simunul! He married 17-years old SOPHIA MIRKUSIN. Dowry was 5,000 +
firearms.

135 or 180 RECRUITS to Corregidor. –January 3, 1968.

Php 50 were never given. 16 were sent back home because they were complaining.
41
ORDERS
 See the Map of Borneo and Sabah
 Issued passports
 Organize the Filipinos
 Demolish communications equipments
 Plants bombs and dynamite
 Rob banks
 Kill Malaysian police

By the 4th week of February; they became restless.

 No allowance
 Food was miserable
 Sleeping in Ipil wood

62 trainees wrote petition to Marcos.

1. Four trainees never returned. Three were shot. Datu Ahid survived.
2. 58 of them were considered resigned and disarmed.

 Remaining 60 to 70 were transferred to Tanay, Rizal on the first week of March.

 24 recruits were sent back home.
 March 18, 1968. FIRST BATCH 12 (passengers of plane) then 2nd BATCH 12.

THE MASSACRE

JABIDAH MASSACRE or CORREGIDOR MASSACRE

 To infiltrate and destabilize Sabah
 To erase traces of key historical event that has come to be known as the Jabidah Massacre.

ACT OF KILLING
 13 AFP – let them line up – they fired with M-16 and carbines.
 JIBIN ran and shot at his thigh. Running to the mountain. He clung up to Ipil Ipil tree. Palm
skin was peeled the rolled off to the Rocky Mountains and fell to the shore.
 Got a plank of wood as lifesaver.
 8am rescued by fishermen from Caballo Island near Cavite.
 It was the spark that lit again the Moro rebellion or the struggle of the Moros for the right to
self-determination.
 It was the birth of the Moro Nationalism; Moros were never be the same again.

Corregidor
 Tadpole shaped island. Its tail pointed off toward Cavite.

March 17 or 18, 1968 – at least 23 trainess

 Moro rebellion, birth of MIM and MNLF
 Lt. Eduardo Nepomuceno was shot.
42
TAINTED the AFP. Major actors are all dead. Missing parts in the Philippine history.

ROLANDO – Military Intelligence Security Group – arrested and killed activists in 1971.

1996 – Shot by the communists – Katipunan Avenue, Quezon City.

EDUARDO BATALLA – Jabidah commander was killed in 1989.

MARTELINO – he was imprisoned in Sabah in 1973. Dead or still languishing in Malaysian prison.

MANUEL SYQUIO – has died

MARCOS – has died in 1989.

Erasing Traces
 Burned bodies tied to trees, on the island‟s bottom side.
 Ordered by Army Chief Gen. Romeo Espino – clean up the place and clear it of all debris.
 Collected charred flesh and bones and wrapped them in dark colored ponchos.
 They could not keep track of how many bodies there were.
 Trainees had been shot dead before they were tied and burned.
 It was a swift operation.
 They remember most is the strong smell of death and decay.
 Helicopter. They tied with stones to the ponchos before dumping them all into the sea.

Killings in Corregidor were never explained.

Marcos and his men – they never happened.
The exposé was part of a grand plot by the opposition to discredit Marcos.
Jibin Arula was an agent planted by Malaysia after it had uncovered the Jabidah‟s purpose.

NO REAL INVESTIGATION TOOK PLACE

 Few senate and congressional hearings which yielded inconclusive findings.

Sen. BENIGNO AQUINO Jr.

o Deft journalistic skills put some the pieces of the Jabidah puzzle together. But remained
INCOMPLETE. –MARTIAL LAW!
o 16 enlisted men were court-martialed in 1968. They were cleared in 1971.
o No one is held accountable.

TO COVER UP
All CAO reports were burned on orders of Martelino.
Documents were tampered, reports were falsified.

MALAYSIA
 Abrogated the 1965 Anti-Smuggling Agreement
 Malaysia became home of the Moro rebels for years.

IN FACT “Through Indonesia, Phils. Proposed to Malayasia that the Phils. Would drop the Sbah claim
if they stop giving sanctuary to MNLF”
43
1963 – UN survey, Sabah wanted to stay with Malaysia.

THE MINDANAO-SULU CRISES

The state affairs of Moro land had become very bad by the late 1960 and early 1970 had
reached crises proportion. Three events in particular help to precipitate the crises in Mindanao and
Sulu.
1) Jabidah Massacre or Corregidor Incident on March 17, 1968
At least 28 Muslim recruits out of a larger number undergoing guerilla warfare training
in Corregidor Island (allegedly in secret preparation for Philippine military operations in
Sabah) were treacherously and summarily executed late in March 1968 by Philippine Army
personnel.

2) The November 1971 Elections

There were significant because they formalized the shift of political power from
Muslims to Christians in parts of Moroland. They also stimulated the rise and activity of rival
Christian and Muslim groups, escalated the level of violence and attracted the attention of
Muslim states abroad. In Cotabato region, an ex-Philippine Constabulary Commander, a
Christian, ran against the incumbent Muslim governor of North Cotabato. The Christian won
and most of the towns elected Christian mayors.

3) The Declaration of Martial Law on September 21, 1972

Pres. Ferdinand E. Marcos availing himself of Article VII, Section 10, paragraph 2 of the
Philippine Constitution issued the Proclamation 1081 declaring Philippines under martial law,
one of the reasons he gave for doing so was the existence of the conflict between Muslims
and Christians in Mindanao and Sulu.

Many Moros were appalled and incensed at the inhuman treatment of them:

1) MIM (Muslim/ Mindanao Independence Movement)

It was founded by the former governor of Cotabato, Datu UdtogMatalam on May 1,
1968 to which the establishment of Islamic Republic of Mindanao and Sulu was the main
objective. This was founded due to the Corregidor Incident or Jabidah Massacre on March 17,
1968. The militaries of MIM were called Black shirts because of their uniforms.

2) BMLO (Bangsa Moro Liberation Organization)

An organization founded by Rashid Lucman, Datu Udtog Matalam and Salipada
Pendatun. It was designed to function as an umbrella organization under which all other
liberation forces must radiate.

3) MNLF (Moro National Liberation Front)

It was founded by young secular minded professionals and students in Manila, mainly
Prof. Nur Misuari (then an instructor at the University of the Philippines) and Abulkhair Alonto
(then a law student at San Beda College). It was first a secret revolutionary movement while
strengthening their forces until Martial Law was declared. It was considered the most
strongest and disciplined Moro group.

44
4) MILF (Moro Islamic Liberation Front)
From 1977 to 1984 was known as New MNLF Leadership. On December 26, 1977,
Hashim Salamat executed the “Instrument of Takeover.” In his letter to OIC, Salamat
enumerated the following summarized points for takeover:

1. The MNLF leadership headed by Nur Misuari was being manipulated away from Islamic
orientation and was leaning on a Marxist-Maoist orientation.
2. The MNLF leadership under Nur Misuari was mysterious and secretive.
3. The exclusive and arrogant nature of MNLF leadership under Nur Misuari.
In March 1984, the Central Committee of the New MNLF Leadership, in a plenary, session,
officially declared itself a separate organization Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF). The most
notable about this organization is the need to emphasize the Islamic orientation of the group as
contrasted to the secularist-nationalist line, the MNLF. Islam thus becomes the official ideology of
the group which was founded by Dr. Hashim Salamat.
DR. USTADZ SALAMAT HASHIM
One of the founders of the MNLF and founding Islamic-oriented chairman of the MILF, dearly
dubbed by many Moros as Ameerul Mujahideen of the Bangsamoro, he is known to the Moros as
Ustadz and respectfully called by the junior members of the MILF as lokes or lokes tanu (variously
translated as “old man” or “our hoarier” or “our elder”) as an expression of their utmost respect,
admiration and commitment to his leadership.
Brief Life History
Salamat was born on July 7, 1942 in what used to be Cotabato province and which is now
Maguindanao.
He finished his elementary education in 1954 with honor and secondary education also with
honor in 1958 in Maguindanao. When Salamat Hashim was 16, he took off from Pagalungan,
Maguindanao, his birthplace, for a long journey to the Middle East. He joined pilgrims from
Philippines in their voyage to Makkah in 1958.
In 1959, he went to Egypt and studied in Al-Azhar University in Cairo, a prestigious and known
university in the Muslim world, where he earned his secondary schooling in Arabic, degree in basic
Islamic studies, masters‟ degree in philosophy and completed the units required for doctoral degree
in Islamic studies. His doctoral dissertation The Rise of Islam in Southeast Asia was burned in late
1973 when the Philippine military attacked his house in Pagalungan, Maguindanao. He was about to
receive his doctoral degree when he decided and chose to return in the Philippines to organize the
MNLF with other Moros.
He spent 21 years of his life abroad, from 1959 to 1970. Most of those 21 years in abroad
were spent in Cairo, Egypt. Shortly after Pres. Ferdinand Marcos had declared Martial Law on
September 21, 1972, Salamat stayed in Libya for a few years and in Saudi Arabia and Pakistan for
few more years.
Just after the Jabidah Massacre on March 17, 1968, Salamat and Mr. Nur Misuari, who was
then an instructor in the University of the Philippines (Diliman) together with some Moros organized
the Moro National Liberation Front with an aim of liberating the Bangsamoros and their homeland
from the Republic of the Philippines after feeling that the Philippine government became an
instrument of oppression against the Moros and to counter Ilaga, a non-Moro movement or
45
“Christian” militia group organized by the non-Moro political warlords to secure their political interest
and protect their acquired vast lands in Moro land through killing Moros including innocent Moro
non-combatants and burning their houses, schools and masjids.
In 1975, for the first time negotiations were conducted between the Philippine Government
and MNLF and Salamat headed the MNLF negotiating panel. After the signing of the Tripoli
Agreement on December 23, 1976 between GRP and MNLF, he dramatically separated from the
MNLF and later on organized the MILF.
On July 13, 2003, Salamat Hashim passed away from old age at the age of 61 and his
demise was only publicly announced after few days to avoid hurting morale within the MILF and the
entire Bangsamoro. Numerous white banner cloths were hanged in the different areas of the Moros
printed on them what Salamat had said Even if I die, surely I have already planted the seed of the
struggle to hearts of my people showing their deep mourning of his demise.
After his death, he was succeeded by Murad Ebrahim (popularly known as Kadi/ Kagi Morad)
as MILF chairman.
He bequeathed his writing Bangsamoro Mujahid, His Objectives and Responsibilities to the
MILF Mujahideen as guidelines in the conduct of their activities and their interrelations with one
another.
ILAGAS (RATS)
It was Christian militia in the Philippines that operated during 1970‟s in Upi, North Cotabato
as counterpart the Mindanao Independence Movement (MIM). It was started by a Christian Ilonggo
settler, Feliciano Luces (alias Toothpick), led a band of Tirurays in attacks against Moros. It is also
widely known as the paramilitary unit of Christian mayors in Cotabato.

June 19, 1971

Some seventy (70) Moro men, women and children were massacred by Ilagas at a masjid
(mosque) in Barrio Manili, Carmen, North Cotabato.

July 4, 1971
In Wao, Lanao del Sur which had a sizeable Christian population, a grenade exploded inside a
masjid and numerous Muslim homes were burned by Ilagas.
Bad as the situation was in Lanao del Sur, the situation in the province of Lanao del Norte
was worse. There the most powerful political leaders were a Muslim Congressman and a Christian
Governor. They had begun as political allies in the mid-1960s but by the 1970 elections for
Constitutional Convention delegates they had become bitter rivals. This rivalry developed quickly into
a political battle dividing Muslims and Christians.

BARRACUDA
It was organized by the Muslim governor candidate in Lanao del Norte that began in 1971
depredations in towns on the northern coastline in support of the political cause of the Muslim
candidate running for governor against the Christian incumbent in the November election.

October 17, 1971

There were 17 men of a 22-man Constabulary patrol were killed in an ambush by Barracudas
in the town of Magsaysay. This was followed the next day by the revenge slaughter 66 Muslims in a
skirmish, also in Magsaysay.

46
November 22, 1971 (TACUB MASSACRE)
A group of civilian Moro voters, returning after dark in several trucks from the special election
in Magsaysay, were fired upon by government troops in Barrio Tacub in the Municipality of
Kauswagan. At least 40 Moros were killed, with no fatality on the government side. Their bodies were
then reportedly mutilated by Christian civilian bystanders.
Because of the worsening condition in Mindanao and growing numerous rebellions
throughout the country Pres. Ferdinand E. Marcos declared the Philippines under martial law on
September 21, 1972.

October 21, 1972

The first major armed defiance of the martial law regime occurred in Lanao del Sur, a rebel
force of several hundred Moros attacked the Philippine Constabulary headquarters in Marawi City,
seized the Mindanao State University.

MARCOS AND THE 1976 TRIPOLI AGREEMENT AND ITS IMPLEMENTATION

The TRIPOLI AGREEMENT was an agreement between the Government of the Republic of the
Philippines (GRP) and the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) with the participation of the
Quadripartite Ministerial Commission members of the Organization of Islamic Conference (OIC) and
the Secretary General of the OIC which provided for the establishment of AUTONOMY in the Southern
Philippines comprising the following provinces:
1. Basilan 9. Sultan Kudarat
2. Sulu 10. North Cotabato
3. Tawi-tawi 11. South Cotabato
4. Zamboangadel Norte 12. Davao del Sur
5. Zambongadel Sur 13. Palawan (including all the cities and
6. Lanao del Norte villages situated in the above mentioned
7. Lanao del Sur Provinces)
8. Maguindanao

This agreement also provided that in the areas of autonomy, a Legislative Assembly and an
Executive Council should be formed and the Muslims should have the right to set up their own courts
which will implement the Islamic Laws (Shari‟ a). It further allowed the Philippine Government to take
all the necessary constitutional processes for the implementation of the entire Agreement.
The Tripoli Agreement was signed on December 23, 1976 at Tripoli Libya. The signatories
were:
• Carmelo Barbero (Undersecretary of National Defense for Civilian Relations), representing the
Philippine Government.
• Nur Misuari (Chairman of the MNLF), representing the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF).
• Dr. Ahmed Karim Gai (Secretary-General of the OIC).
• Dr. Ali Abdussalam Treki (Libyan Minister of State for Foreign Affairs), chairman of the
negotiation.

The members of the Quadripartite Ministerial Commission were the representatives from:
1. Libya
2. Saudi Arabia
47
 3. Somalia
4. Senegal

The function or task of the Commission was to enter into discussion with the Philippine
Government about the situation of the Muslims in the Southern Philippines.
IMPLEMENTATION OF THE 1976 TRIPOLI AGREEMENT
To implement the Tripoli Agreement, Ferdinand Marcos did the following:
1. Proclamation No. 1628, it was issued on March 25, 1977 declaring autonomy in Southern
Philippines (in those 13 provinces) and creating Provisional Regional Government.

2. Decreed the holding of referendum-plebiscite on April 17, 1977 to determine the manner in
which the inhabitants of the areas of autonomy may wish to organize themselves
administratively. The result of the referendum, only ten (10) provinces voted for autonomy
thus reducing the areas of autonomy from thirteen (13) provinces (as agreed in the Tripoli
Agreement) to ten.

3. Created two Regional Autonomous Governments (RAGs) in the Southern Philippines such as
Region 9 and Region 12 composed of ten provinces (five for each region).

Region 12
Region 9 1. Lanao del Norte
1. Sulu 2. Lanao del Sur
2. Tawi-tawi 3. North Cotabato
3. Basilan 4. Maguindanao
4. Zamboangadel Sur 5. Sultan Kudarat
5. Zamboangadel Norte Not included in the two autonomous
regions were:
1. South Cotabato
2. Davao del Sur
3. Palawan

4. Presidential Decree No. 1618, it was issued on July 25, 1979 implementing the organization of the
Sangguniang Pampook and the Lupong Tagapagpaganap ng Pook in the Autonomous Regions 9
and 12 and it further defines the scope of internal autonomy of the Autonomous Regions and the
powers and functions of the Sangguniang Pampook.
The Sangguniang Pampook and the Lupong Tagapagpaganap ng Pook were created or organized
by Batas PambansaBlg. 20 on March 23, 1979.
a. Sangguniang Pampook. It was the Regional Legislative Assembly exercised the legislative
powers, thus, it was the law-making body of the autonomous region.
b. Lupong Tagapagpaganap ng Pook. It was the Regional Executive Council, the body which
executed or implemented or caused the implementation of the laws and enactments passed
by the SangguniangPampook.

48
 5. Presidential Decree No. 1083 (The Code of Muslim Personal Laws). It was issued on February 4,
1977. This code recognizes the legal system of the Muslims in the Philippines as part of the law of
the land and seeks to make Islamic instructions more effective.
Presidential Decree No. 1083 embodies Muslim personal laws pertaining to:
1. Personal Status
2. Marriage and Divorce
3. Rights and Obligations and Property Relations between husband and wife
4. Property Filiations
5. Parental Authority
6. Support and Maintenance
7. Succession and Inheritance

The following constitute the machinery for the administration and enforcement of P.D. 1083:
1. Shari‟ a Courts (Shari‟ a Circuit and District Courts)
2. Agama Arbitration Council
3. Jurisconsult in Islamic Law

 Agama Arbitration Council. It is an ad hoc body constituted by Shari‟a Court in cases such as
divorce (by Talaq or Tawjid) or subsequent marriages and those offences against customary law.
The function of the council is to give advice or to bring about conciliation or an amicable settlement
between parties.

 Jurisconsult in Islamic Law. The one who renders legal opinion, based on recognized authorities,
regarding any question relating to Muslim law. He must be at least 40 years old, of food moral
character and proven integrity, an eminent scholar in the Qur‟an, Hadith and in Islamic
jurisprudence and he must also be proficient in Arabic.
Marcos also created several offices to attend to the specific needs of Muslim Filipinos. These offices
were:
1. Commission on Islamic Affairs. The president‟s arm for the direct assistance to Muslims in
Southern Philippines.
2. Agency for the Welfare and Development of Muslims. This gave assistance in welfare and religious
activities of the Muslim Filipinos.
3. Philippine Pilgrimage Authority (Hajj). This made the necessary arrangements and subsidized the
annual hajj to Makka.
4. Office of Islamic Affairs. This supervised harmonious relations with Islamic states. Later, this was
changed to the Office of Muslim Affairs (OMA). Now, the OMA is replaced by the National
Commission on Muslim Filipinos.
It was also during the time of Marcos that the Philippine Amanah Bank was created with branches
established in Zamboanga City, Marawi City, Cotabato City and Jolo. This special “Islamic Bank” was
created to provide loans and credits to the Muslim Filipinos in accordance with Islamic principles.
However, Marcos implementation of the Tripoli Agreement created disagreements between the
MNLF and the Philippine Government which prompted the MNLF to revive its original demand for
independence and renew its struggle against the government.
AQUINO ADMINISTRATION AND THE ESTABLISHMENT OF THE AUTONOMOUS REGION IN MUSLIM
MINDANAO (ARMM)

49
 In 1986, Corazon C. Aquino became the president of the Philippines as a result of the People Power
Revolution which forced Marcos to leave the country. Negotiations between the MNLF and Aquino‟s
Administration again failed because they could not accept each other‟s demands; neither could they agree
on a compromise. The MNLF insisted on the full implementation of the Tripoli agreement while the
Philippine Government emphasized the constitutional provisions on the establishment of autonomy in
Muslim Mindanao.
The present Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) was established during the
administration of the former President Aquino, and was created within the framework of the following:
• 1987 Philippine Constitution
• National Sovereignty of the Republic of the Philippines
• Territorial Integrity of the Republic of the Philippines
The 1987 Philippine Constitution provided that “creation of the autonomous region shall be
effective only when approved by the majority constituent units in a plebiscite called for the purpose.” And
pursuant to this provision, on November 19, 1989, a plebiscite was held in the thirteen (13) provinces
agreed in the Tripoli Agreement. In that plebiscite, the people were asked to ratify the Organic Act for
ARMM which is Republic Act 6734 enacted by Congress on June 8, 1989 with the assistance on June 8,
1989 with the assistance and participation of the Regional Consultative Commission (RCC) and signed into
law by former President Corazon Aquino on August 1, 1989. Four provinces ratified the Organic Act and
this result determined the territorial coverage of the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao. The four
provinces included in the ARMM are the following:
1. Lanao del Sur 3. Sulu
2. Maguindanao 4.Tawi-tawi

The Republic Act 6734 (the Organic Act for ARMM) defines the following:
1. The basic structure of Government for the Autonomous Region of the executive department and the
legislative assembly both of which shall be elective and representative of the constituent political units.
2. It provides for Special Courts with personal, family and property law jurisdiction consistent with the
provisions of the Philippine Constitution.
RAMOS AND THE 1996 GRP-MNLF FINAL PEACE AGREEMENT
In 1992, Fidel V. Ramos was elected president of the Republic of the Philippines. One of his
immediate concerns was to pursue a peaceful settlement of the armed conflict in Mindanao involving the
Moro National Liberation Front. The peaceful negotiations with the MNLF which was started in 1992 ended
with the signing of the GRP-MNLF Peace Agreement and with Nur Misuari‟s acceptance of the Government
offer to become the chairman of the Southern Philippine Council for Peace and Development (SPCPD). Nur
Misuari was also persuaded to become the Government‟s official candidate in the election for ARMM
governor. After signing two statements of understanding and interim agreements in four rounds of formal
peace talks all held in Jakarta, Indonesia (in 1993, 1994, 1995 and 1996), the Philippine Government
and MNLF finally concluded their peace talks with the signing of the GRP-MNLF Peace Agreement.
The 1996 GRP-MNLF Peace Agreement is the final agreement on the implementation of the 1976
Tripoli Agreement between the Government of the Republic of the Philippines (GRP) and the Moro National
Liberation Front (MNLF) with the participation of the Organization of Islamic Conference Ministerial
Committee of the Six and the Secretary-General of the OIC.

50
 This agreement was signed in Manila on September 2, 1996. The signatories were:
• Ambassador Manuel T. Yan, he represented the Government of the Republic of the Philippines
• Prof. Nur Misuari, he represented the Moro National Liberation Front
• Ali Alatas (Indonesian Minister of Foreign Affairs), he was the chairman of the OIC Ministerial Committee
of the Six
• Dr. Hamid Al-Gabid, he was the secretary general of the OIC.

The members of the Ministerial Committee of the Six were representatives of:

1. Libya 3. Somalia 5. Indonesia

2. Saudi Arabia 4. Senegal 6. Bangladesh

IMPLEMENTATION OF THE 1996 GRP-MNLF FINAL PEACE AGREEMENT

The GRP-MNLF Peace Agreement is to be implemented in two (2) stages or phases.
PHASE 1. It covers a three (3) year period (1996-1999) which includes:
1. The establishment of the Special Zone for Peace and Development (SZOPAD), Southern Philippine
Council for Peace and Development (SPCPD), the Consultative Assembly.
2. The joining of the MNLF elements with the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) and the Philippine
National Police (PNP)
PHASE 2. Implementation of the Peace Agreement involves:
1. The amendment to or repeal the Organic Act (Republic Act 6734) of the Autonomous Region in Muslim
Mindanao (ARMM) through Congressional action, after which the amendatory law passed by the Congress
and approved by the President shall be submitted to the people for approval in a plebiscite in the
concerned areas. The plebiscite will determine the establishment of a new autonomous government and
the specific area of autonomy.
2. The establishment of a new Regional Autonomous Government. The new area of autonomy shall be
determined by the provinces and cities that will vote or choose to join the autonomy.
The Special Zone for Peace and Development in the Southern Philippines covers the provinces of:

1. Basilan
2. Sulu And the cities of:
3. Tawi-tawi
4. Zamboanga del Norte 1. Cotabato
5. Zamboanga del Sur 2. Dapitan
6. Lanao del Norte 3. Dipolog
7. Lanao del Sur 4. General Santos
8. North Cotabato 5. Iligan
9. South Cotabato 6. Marawi
10. Maguindanao 7. Pagadian
11. Sultan Kudarat 8. Zamboanga
12. Davao del Sur 9. Puerto Princesa
13. Sarangani
14. Palawan

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 The Southern Philippines Council for Peace and Development (SPCPD) composed of one (1)
chairman, one (1) vice-chairman and (3) deputies representing the Muslims, the Christians and the
cultural communities.
The SPCPD is a transitory administrative arm under the control and supervision of the
President. It has no governing or law-making power. Its main power and function is to take charge in
promoting, monitoring, coordinating and implementing the improvement of peace and order in the
area.
The 1996 GRP-MNLF Peace Agreement, however, partly solved the problem on armed conflict
in Mindanao. The Philippine Government is still confronted with another serious problem. The Moro
Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) is not willing to compromise its demand for the establishment of an
independent Islamic state in Mindanao.
THE GOVERNMENT OF THE PHILIPPINES (GPH) AND THE MORO ISLAMIC LIBERATION FRONT
(MILF), 1997 to 2012
Some of the reasons why Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) negotiated with the Philippine
Government even after the signing of the 1996 Final Peace Agreement according to Mohagher Iqbal.
1. The MNLF has given up the Right-to-Self-Determination (RSD) in the 1996 Final Peace
Agreement. The RSD is expressed in the past tense.

“Whereas, the MNLF, led by Professor Nur Misuari, inspired by their quest for peace and
prosperity, had in the past asserted the right of the Moro people to freely determine their
political status and freely pursue their religious, social, economic and cultural development;”

2. The MNLF has agreed that in case of conflict in the interpretation of the 1996 Final Peace
Agreement then the interpretation of the Philippine Government must be observed.

“This Peace Agreement, which is the full implementation of the 1976 Tripoli Agreement,
embodies and constitutes the totality of all the agreements, covenant and understandings
between the GRP and the MNLF respecting all the subject matters embodied herein. This
Agreement supersedes and modifies all agreements, consensus, covenants, documents and
communications not referred to or embodied in this Agreement or whose terms and
conditions are otherwise inconsistent herewith. Any conflict in the interpretation of this
Agreement shall be resolved in the light of the Philippine Constitution and existing laws.”

The peace negotiations or peace process between the Government of the Republic of the
Philippines (GRP) and non-state entity Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) is divided into two
phases: First Phase or Domestic Stage (1997-2000) and Second Phase or International Stage
(2001-2012).

First Phase or Domestic Stage (1997-2000)

The initial meeting of GRP and MILF members of the technical committees on agenda setting
at Da‟wah Center, Crossing Simuay, Sultan Kudarat, Magindanaw on January 7, 1997 marked the
starting point of formal peace negotiations between GRP and MILF.

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 The First Phase of the peace negotiations from 1997 to 2000 revolved mainly around on
security issues and cessation of hostilities. Confidence-building measures and Armed Forces of the
Philippines (AFP) - Bangsamoro Islamic Armed Forces (BIAF) ceasefire matters were firmed up in the
early stages of the negotiations. This stage likewise distinguished as Diplomatic Stage, during which
negotiations were conducted inside the Philippines, Mindanao to be exact, without third party
facilitation, mediation and international players.

“ALL-OUT WAR”
Joseph Ejercito Estrada at the town hall of Kauswagan, Lanao del Norte on March 22, 2000
halted and suspended the conduct of peace negotiations, caused the MILF to counter-declare “all-
out jihad” against the government and the withdrawal of MILF peace panel from the negotiating
table.
The Domestic Stage had ended with this suspension of peace talks from June 2000 to
February 2001 without signing any agreements on substantive issues.

Second Phase or International Stage or Diplomatic Stage (2001-2012)

The Second Stage of the negotiations is marked with the involvement of international players,
particularly Malaysia, as third party facilitator. The talks entered into substantive discussions outside
of the cessation of hostilities and rehabilitation and development, with the entry of the parties into
discussions on ancestral domain. Thirteen (13) years after the first GRP-MILF meeting, the talks are
now in the midst of substantive discussions.

Negotiations conducted post MOA-AD highlight several important mechanisms such as the
formation of the International Contact Group (ICG). The ICG is primarily mandated to exert the
necessary leverage and assistance towards sustaining the trust and confidence of both sides at the
negotiating table. The mandates of the ceasefire mechanism, especially of the International
Monitoring Team (IMT) and that of the Ad Hoc Joint Action Group or AHJAG, were likewise renewed at
the event of the resumption of the GRP-MILF negotiations in December 2009.

MEMORANDUM OF AGREEMENT ON ANCESTRAL DOMAIN (MOA-AD)

The draft Memorandum of Agreement on Ancestral Domain (MOA-AD) was finalized and
initialed on July 27, 2008, and was scheduled for signing on August 5, 2008 in Kuala Lumpur,
Malaysia. However, it was restrained by the Supreme Court on the same day. Serious objections to
the draft agreement by local officials in the affected areas and the attacks from renegade MILF
elements on civilian communities in several parts of Mindanao prompted a policy decision. The non-
signing triggered attacks from renegade MILF elements. By November 2008, Malaysia decided to
pull out its contingent in the Malaysian-led IMT. It would only be in July the following year that
backchannel efforts led to the effecting of a GPH SOMO (Suspension of Military Operations) and MILF
SOMA (Suspension of Military Actions).

It should be noted that the ill-fated MOA-AD was NOT envisioned or intended to be the GPH-
MILF Final Peace Agreement. Even if the MOA-AD were signed, the mechanisms and modalities of
governance would still have had to be spelled out in a Final Peace Agreement / Comprehensive
Compact. It only discussed the last of the three (3) substantive aspects of the 2001 Tripoli Peace
Agreement (the two earlier aspects being Security Mechanisms and Rehabilitation & Development,
which have been earlier agreed upon).

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FRAMEWORK AGREEMENT ON BANGSAMORO (FAB)
The Framework Agreement on the Bangsamoro is a preliminary peace agreement signed in
the Malacañang Palace in Manila, Philippines on 15 October 2012. The Framework Agreement calls
for the creation of an autonomous political entity named Bangsamoro, replacing the Autonomous
Region of Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) which was described by President Benigno Aquino III as "a
failed experiment".

BANGSAMORO TRANSITION COMMISSION

The body tasked to draft the charter or Bangsamoro Basic Law for the future Bangsamoro
government. The body was created by virtue of Executive Order 120. Eight of the members were
nominated by the MILF while 7 were nominated by the government. The government has allocated
an initial P100 million for the Transition Commission.

SABAH DISPUTE
The Sabah Claim or Dispute refers to the territorial dispute between Malaysia and the
Philippines over much of the eastern part of Sabah. Sabah was known as North Borneo prior to the
formation of the Malaysian federation. The Philippines, through the heritage of the Sultanate of Sulu,
retains a "dormant claim" on Sabah on the basis that the territory was only leased to the British
North Borneo Company in 1878 with the Sultanate's sovereignty never being relinquished. However,
Malaysia considers this dispute as a "non-issue" as it interprets the 1878 agreement as that of
cession and that it deems that the residents of Sabah had exercised their right to self-determination
when they voted to join the Malaysian federation in 1963.

On February 11, 2013, a group of approximately 100–200 individuals, some of them armed,
arrived by boat in Lahad Datu, Sabah from Simunul Island, Tawi-Tawi of southern Philippines. They
were sent by Jamalul Kiram III, one of the claimants to the throne of the Sultanate of Sulu. Their
objective was to assert their unresolved territorial claim to North Borneo.
************************************************************************
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Public Land Law and Resettlement

Hectares Allowed
Non-Christian (Moros
Year Homesteader Corporation
& Wild Tribes)
1903 16 has. (no provision) 1,024 has.
1919 24 has. 10 has. 1,024 has.
1936 16 has. 4 has. 1,024 has.

Resettlement: Case of Cotabato 1918 Census

Population Towns w/ Moro Towns w/ Lumad Towns w/ Settler
Range
50% up 20 5 0
25 - 49.9% 4 2 2

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10 – 24.9% 4 7 2
9.9% & less 2 6 18

1939 census
Population Towns w/ Moro Towns w/ Lumad Towns w/ Settler
Range
50% up 20 9 3
25 - 49.9% 5 2 2
10 – 24.9% 6 3 10
9.9% & less 2 8 13

1970 census
Population Towns w/ Bayan ng Lumad Bayan ng Settler
Range Moro
50% up 10 0 38
25 - 49.9% 8 1 4
10 – 24.9% 11 5 5
9.9% & less 21 31 2

Census Total Population Muslims % Lumad %

year
1918 1,175,212 378,152 32.17 116,456 9.9
1939 2,338,094 751,172 32.12 341,888 14.62
1970 6,831,120 1,629,730 23.85 437,991 6.41
Population Change in Mindanao, 1918-1970

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