UNIT IX.

SOCIAL, POLITICAL, ECONOMIC, AND CULTURAL ISSUES IN

PHILIPPINE HISTORY
Overview

This unit gives you an overview of various social, political, economic, and cultural
issues in the Philippines. The first topic tackles the ongoing conflicts in Mindanao and Sulu
and the campaign for the self-determination of the Bangsamoro people. It also presents
the peace treaties enacted by the government with Muslim Filipinos.

The second lesson focuses on the lives of some prominent Filipinos who helped shape
our country through their heroic deeds.

Learning Objectives

At the end of the unit, I am able to:

1. use basic concepts across the domains of knowledge through writing a term
paper; and
2. examine the contemporary world from both Philippine and global perspectives.

Lesson Proper

Lesson 1 Government Peace Treaties with Muslim Filipinos

The continuing struggle in Mindanao and Sulu, as well as the existing campaign for
the self-determination of the Bangsamoro people, comes mainly from years of unsettled
historical injustices, which include the forceful incorporation of the Moros into the
American colonial government and the authorization of the government for Christians to
migrate to Mindanao at the turn of the twentieth century.

Moros comes from the Spanish word “Moors” which was a derogatory term for
Muslims. Since then, it has been used to denote Filipino Muslims. ‘Moro’ denotes a Muslim
inhabitant and non-Hispanicized in the ‘unsubjugated’ southern islands. Bangsamoro, on
the other hand, is a combination of “bangsa” and Moro. The term ‘bangsa’ or ‘bansa’ is
a Malay word that usually refers to nations, castes, descent groups or lines, races or
estates. The composite term ‘Bangsa Moro’, refers to the ‘Moro nation’. It is a recently
adopted name that is becoming popular to the people. It refers to the community of
Islamized indigenous groups in Mindanao.

Image from: Mindanaomaps.com

 Mindanao is made up of the large islands south of the Philippines. Sulu archipelago
is the cluster of 500 islands between Sulu and the Celebes Sea. It is necessary to
remember that Mindanao and Sulu are different but interrelated geographical entities.
At present, Mindanao is mostly occupied by three groups of people -- the settlers, the
Moros and the Lumad. Lumad is a Cebuano Bisayan term which means “indigenous”.
Starting in 1997, the Lumad began referring themselves as indigenous peoples in
coherence with the practice of international assemblies like the United Nations, but more
particularly, in line with the passage of the Indigenous Peoples Rights Act of 1997 by the
Philippine Congress. The Moros are indigenous to Mindanao and became Muslim when
Arab traders-missionaries came to the region, married into the local population and
spread Islam starting as early as the 14th century, in Tawi-Tawi in the late 14th century,
and in Central Mindanao in the early 16th century. They are, at present, the majority in
the five provinces of Maguindanao, Lanao del Sur, Basilan, Sulu and Tawi-Tawi. The third
major group includes largely Christian migrants and descendants who came from Luzon
and Visayas.

The struggle for self-determination of Muslims in Mindanao started when the

Philippines was still a colony of the United States of America. In the 1930s, US authorities
persuaded Christian Filipinos in Luzon and Visayas to migrate to the southern region of
Mindanao, which was mostly occupied by Moros. Because of this migration, the Moros
gradually became a minority in many parts of southern Philippines. What finally sparked
the Muslim separatist war against the Philippine state is the Jabidah massacre which
happened in 1968. This led to the establishment of the Moro National Liberation Front
(MILF). The MNLF led an insurgency against the Philippine government. They declared
their war of national liberation and their intention to establish the Bangsamoro Republic
in the region that they claimed as their ancestral homeland.

With the help of the Organization of Islamic Conference, the Philippine government
and the MNLF signed the Tripoli Agreement in 1976. Under this agreement, a ceasefire is
declared between the two parties. It provides that Mindanao would still be a part of the
Philippines. The agreement also identified 13 provinces in Southern Philippines where
Muslims shall enjoy political autonomy. However, the Marcos regime refused the
agreement, resulting in the resume of the armed movement. In 1977, the Moro Islamic
Liberation Front (MILF) was formed. It is the result of a series of factional splits because of
the members' disagreement with MNLF's decisions. The MILF did not believe in negotiating
with the government.

In 1986, Marcos was forced from power by revolution. The new president, Corazon
Aquino and the leader of MNLF, Nur Misuari, quickly arranged for a ceasefire, and in
January 1987, the MNLF agreed to drop its demand for an independent state in return
for regional autonomy. The MILF, on the other hand, declined to take part in it. In the
succeeding year, the MILF replaced the MNLF in pursuing Moro secession. Under the
Republic Act 6734 the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao or ARMM was created
the following year.

MNLF came to a peace settlement with the Ramos administration which gave the
ARMM limited self-rule over the most impoverished Muslim regions in the south in 1996.
Later that year, Nur Misuari was elected as the governor of the autonomous region. In
1997, MILF signed a ceasefire agreement and started peace talks with the Ramos
administration. However, major fighting outbreaks caused discontinuance of the peace
talks. When President Joseph Estrada was elected in 1999, he halted all the peace talks
and pronounced an all-out war against the MILF. Two months after Gloria Macapagal
Arroyo assumed the presidency, the Philippine government and the MILF signed the
Agreement of the General framework for the resumption of peace between the armed
separatist group and the government. The peace, however, didn't last long since in 2003,
President Arroyo declared war against the MILF after the alleged bombing by the militant
group of the Davao International Airport and the Sasa Wharf. The peace talks with MILF
continues, and discussions on ancestral domain pact for the expansion of ARMM took
place in 2004. Several efforts were exerted and finally in 2008, the Philippine Government
and the MILF signed the Memorandum Agreement-Ancestral Domain (MOA-AD).

In 2010, When President Benigno S. Aquino III assumed office, he arranged a new
negotiating panel to continue peace talks with the MILF. Two years after, the government
and the MILF panels announced an agreement to create a new autonomous political
entity to replace the ARMM. Several rounds of peace talks took place while the
Bangsamoro Basic Law was being drafted by the Bangsamoro Transition Commission.
However, in 2013, Nur Misuari launched an attack in Zamboanga City because he
disapproves the current peace talks between the government and the MILF. The
discussions on the proposed BBL began at the 16th Congress. The 16th Congress ended
without having passed the BBL, which will be deliberated again under a new president.
In 2017, under the Duterte administration, new members were included to the
Bangsamoro Transition Commission, and the final version of the BBL was made. Duterte
proclaimed the passing of the BBL as urgent. After long deliberation and after the BBL
was passed on both Houses, Duterte finally signed the Bangsamoro Organic Law in 2018.
The following year, after the plebiscite voting, the National Plebiscite Board of Canvassers
announced that the BOL is "deemed ratified", replacing ARMM with Bangsamoro
Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao.

Lesson 2 Biographies of Prominent Filipinos

Because of its rich historical background, it’s not a surprise that the Philippines
recognizes prominent figures who fought for the country. Numerous people have offered
their lives to help the country gain and maintain independence.

Jose Rizal – born Jose Protasio Rizal Mercado y

Realonda on June 16, 1861, in Calamba, Laguna. He
was the seventh of the eleven children of Francisco
Mercado Rizal and Teodora Alonso Realonda. The
Mercado family were known to be landowners who
rented their land to the friars in Laguna.

In 1872, he studied at Ateneo Municipal de Manila.

Excelling in all his subjects, he earned the degree
Bachiller en Artes Sobrasaliente (Bachelor of Arts with
highest honors). He also studied Agriculture while
simultaneously enrolling in Philosophy, then Medicine at
the Royal and Pontifical Universidad de Santo Tomas in
Manila. He obtained his degree of “Land Surveyor and
Agricultural Expert” from Ateneo, but because of
unpleasant
(Image credits to: Esquire Philippines)
experiences of discrimination, he continued his studies in both Medicine and Philosophy
and Literature at the Universidad Central de Madrid in Spain. There, he completed his
Licentiate in Medicine in 1884 and Licentiate in Philosophy and Literature in 1885. He also
studied under Professor Otto Becker, a renowned eye specialist.

While in Europe, Rizal met other Filipino émigré and formed the Propaganda
Movement. At the age of 26, Rizal published his first novel, Noli Me Tangere in Berlin,
Germany. The novel was largely considered the bible of Philippine literature. It introduced
for the first time the idea of a singular community as Filipinos. However, this novel was
banned from the Philippines, penalizing anyone who owned a copy of it. Despite the
banning of his first novel, Rizal wrote his second, the El Filibusterismo and published it in
1891.

Rizal journeyed back to the Philippines in 1892. What followed after his return to the
Philippines was his arrest and deportation to Dapitan. While in exile, Rizal practiced
ophthalmology and operated his mother’s right cataract. He also met Josephine
Bracken who later became his common-law wife.

On his voyage to Spain to serve in Cuba, he was arrested in his cabin for being an
accomplice of the Katipunan, having Andres Bonifacio name him as a member of the
organization without his consent. He was sentenced to death “for the crime of having
founded illicit associations and for having incited and promoted rebellion. He was then
executed in public by firing squad on December 30, 1896.

Sultan Kudarat – he was the seventh

leader of the Maguindanao Sultanate. He
was recognized as the most powerful Muslim
ruler in the Philippines. He fought the Spanish
invaders and rallied the other Muslim leaders
to maintain their hold on the Islam Faith as
well as defend their respective territory from
foreign incursions. He was not only a great
leader, but he also allied with the Dutch East
India Company for trade.

(Image credits to: xiaochua.net)

 Macario Sakay – he is one of the founding
members of the Katipunan. He attempted to
form his own Republic known as “Republika ng
Katagalugan” where he was the President.
However, the US government did not recognize
his government and thus declared him an outlaw
under the Bandolerism Act. He and his followers
were later on arrested and executed by the
American authorities as bandits. Macario Sakay
was executed on September 13,
1907, by hanging.

(Image credits to: 8list.ph)

Juan Luna – he was born in Badoc, Ilocos Norte

on October 23, 1857. He is considered one of the
greatest Filipino artists in Philippine history with a
number of masterpieces such as the Spoliarium
and the Blood Compact. Being friends with Jose
Rizal has sparked Philippine nationalism and
pride in him. His works are known to be dramatic
and dynamic, with its focus on romanticism and
realism art styles. His works usually contained
political commentaries.

(Image credits to: Politiko Metro Manila)

Vicente Sotto – he entered politics in 1902 when

he ran for the municipal councillorship of Cebu
and won. In 1907, he was elected as a mayor
despite his absence during the election. He also
resisted Americanization by championing the
local language. He is also known to be the Father
of Cebuano language and letter. He penned the
Press Freedom Law, or the Sotto law.

(Image credits to: Esquire Philippines)

 Fernando Amorsolo – he is the national Artist for
Visual Arts. His paintings usually depict the life in
countryside which are significant in the
development of the formation of Filipino sense of
self and identity.

(Image credits to: Esquire Philippines)

Ninoy Aquino – Benigno Simeon Aquino Jr.; he is a

known critic of then President Ferdinand Marcos. His
assassination is believed to have caused the middle
class to protest against the Marcos administration
which led to the EDSA Revolution.

(Image credits to: Inquirer.net)