MSU-SULU
HISTORY003
HISTORY OF FILIPINO MUSLIMS AND INDIGENOUS PEOPLE OF MINSUPALA
AMERICAN COLONIAL PERIOD
 What were the events that brought the Americans
to the Philippines?
 Post-Civil Wars = America’s economy grew
tremendously.
Flooded by the surplus products and
capital which American factories
produced and generated.
America to come up with a plan on how
to acquire colonies that would serve as
her economic dumping ground.
Spain was the weakest colonizer.
 To justify the declaration of war against
Spain and take its colonies, Americans
started designing steps.
1. Publication of Dubuy De Lome’s
letter which contained personal
criticism against US President
William McKinley.
2. American Propaganda spread
rumors that American Citizens was
maltreated by Spanish Authority.
3. February 15, 1898, American
warship (Maine) anchored in
Havana Cuba was blown up and
destroyed, killing 246 crew
members.
 Americans held Spain responsible for the
explosion.
 April 21, 1898, US Congress declared war
against Spain.
 PH was colonies of Spain, American had to
go there supposedly to destroy Spanish
forces.
 What was the Treaty of Paris and what was its role
in the incorporation of Mindanao and Sulu into the
former colony of Spain?
‒ Emilio Aguinaldo’s cooperation was obtained
through the promise and assurance intention
was only to destroy the Spanish forces.
‒ American pretended to be friend of the
Christian Filipino revolutionaries.
‒ However, this “friend” would turn into an
adversary after abandoning her promise of not
colonizing the Philippines.
 Treaty of Paris – An agreement that ended
Spanish-American War, provided for the cession
of the PH to the US for 20 million USD.
 Filipino revolutionists were not the only
ones who were affected by the Treaty of
Paris.
 It must be recalled that until 1898, the
Spanish-Moro wars remained unfinished
without a clear conclusion.
 Thus, in 1898, we can safely infer that
there were still three major states that
existed in what is now the Philippines,
namely:
1. Felipinas (which comprised the
Spanish controlled territories of
Luzon, Visayas and some parts of
northern Mindanao)
2. Maguindanao Sultanate (which
comprised the territories of south-
central Mindanao) and
3. The Sulu Sultanate (which
comprised the territories of the
Sulu archipelago and the area of
Borneo known as Sabah).
 The last two states (i.e., the Sultanates
of Maguindanao and Sulu) used to be
independent from Felipinas but when
the Spaniards sold the PH to
Americans, they included the entire
Mindanao and Sulu in the business
transaction.
 Moro’s thought it was unfair to include
them in the Treaty of Paris since they
felt that the Spaniards never
succeeded in subjugating them; and
therefore, did not have the right to sell
them to America.
 What were the various stages of the American
occupation in Moro land and how distinct the
American policies were in each of the stages?
 We can generally identify three stages of
American occupation of Moro land:
pg. 1
MSU-SULU
HISTORY003
1) Military Occupation from 1899-1903;
2) The Moro Province from 1903-1913; and
3) The Department of Mindanao and Sulu from
1914-1920.
A. Military Occupation and the Non-interference
Policy.
 War was still being waged against the Christian
Filipino revolutionists.
 The Americans made sure they were able to
neutralize the Muslims by not provoking and
encouraging them to join.
 Brigadier General John C. Bates was sent in
February 1899 to meet with the leaders of Sulu,
headed by Sultan Jamalul Kiram.
 The objective was to win the friendship of the
Moros in Sulu by convincing the Datus,
headmen, and imams to recognize and accept
the presence of the American forces in Moro
land.
o Bates Agreement
— The Bates agreement, as was popularly known
in Philippine history, became the epitome of
American policy in Moro land for the first five
years. This policy would be known as the Non-
interference policy.
By the term non-interference, it meant
that the Americans would not meddle
in the right of the natives to regulate
their own affairs, religious beliefs and
worship and economic activities.
− It also entailed the non-obligation
of Moros outside the larger port
towns to pay taxes or duties.
B. The Moro Province and Direct Rule
 Early 1901, Emilio Aguinaldo was captured;
and in the following year (1902) almost all
of his generals were either killed, arrested,
or had surrendered.
 From 1903 to 1913, the Americans organize
and implement the Moro Province, placing
all Moro/Muslim districts under direct
American military control.
 Military power, is the most essential in
dealing with the Moros who would be
prepared and introduced under the new
government.
 Under the Moro province, the natives were
placed under the tribal ward system:
o The tribal chieftain – held
responsible for the acts of his
constituents.
o The tribal ward – placed under
municipalities which were further
organized into districts.
o Each district – placed under an
American district governor who in
turn was directly responsible to the
governor of the Moro Province.
 It was actually during the years of the Moro
province that the Americans started
implementing policies that directly
interfered with Moro affairs. Among other
things, these policies included:
1) Taxation (i.e. the imposition of taxes on
the Moro population);
2) Anti-slavery Law (i.e. the banning of
slavery among the Moros); and
3) Disarmament Policy (i.e. it made
carrying of traditional bladed weapons
illegal).
 American superiority in military power had not
only silenced Moro defiance and resistance but
pg. 2
MSU-SULU
HISTORY003
also forcibly brought together the peoples of
Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao into one highly
centralized and unitary Philippine colony. They
believed that the only way to deal with them
was by brute force.
Indeed, these policies generated violent reactions
among the Moros so that many of the great “battles” or
“massacres” in Mindanao and Sulu would occur during
the years of the Moro Province.
 BATTLE OF BUD DAJO
 The Battle
people’s resistance against foreign domination. This
battle took place from March 5 to March 8, 1906, at
Bud Dajo on Jolo Island in the Philippines.
 By 1906, the American army had been able to gain
control of most of the Moro areas and had
imposed new colonial rule. However, a group of
Moros who opposed American rule took refuge in
the volcanic crater of Bud Dajo. The population at
this location swelled to more than 1,000.
 The American army, led by Colonel Joseph W.
Duncan, launched an attack on Bud Dajo. Despite
the Moros’ fierce resistance, the Americans were
able to reach the rim of the crater by the end of
March 72.
 On the following day, they used machine guns and
other artillery to kill any remaining Moros in the
crater.
 The battle resulted in a devastating loss for the
Moros, with only six survivors out of a population
of over 1,000. American casualties included 21
soldiers killed and 70 wounded.
 The Battle of Bud Dajo was the bloodiest battle
between the Moro people and the American
forces. The high number of civilian casualties,
including women and children, led to widespread
criticism in the United States.
 It serves as a stark reminder of the cost of freedom
and the lengths to which people will go to protect
their way of life. Despite the overwhelming
firepower of the attackers and the lopsided
casualties, the Moros’ determination to resist
foreign rule remained unbroken. Their legacy
continues to shape the identity and history of the
Moro people.
of Bud
o Moro Problem
By the Moro problem is meant that method or
form of administration by which the Moros
and other non-Christians who are living among
them, can be governed to their best interest
and welfare in the most peaceful way possible,
and can at the same time be provided with
appropriate measures for their gradual
advancement in culture and civilization, so that
in the course of a reasonable time they can be
admitted into the general government of the
Philippine Islands as qualified members of a
republican national organization.
o The Department of Mindanao and Sulu and
Filipinization
“Philippines was not for the United States to exploit
but to develop, to civilize, to educate and to train in
the science of self-government.” – William Mckinley
 Self-government and eventually become
independent - Started to come true when the
Democrats won in 1913.
 “FILIPINIZATION” – Policy that transfer the
control of the Insular Government from
American to Filipino hands
 Part of the Filipinization program was to
abolish the Moro Province.
 in 1913, the Moro province would be
reorganized into the Department of Mindanao
and Sulu. Under the department, the former
districts of the Moro Province were turned into
pg. 3
MSU-SULU
HISTORY003
regular provinces plus the new provinces of
Agusan and Bukidnon.
 The term “Filipino” in the Filipinization
program appeared to be almost exclusive to
“Christian Filipinos”. Thus, the Filipinization
program that was vigorously pursued under the
department had even caused Moro
resentments instead of Moro enthusiasm,
participation, and excitement.
 The Filipinization program of the colonial
administration under the Department of
Mindanao and Sulu would continue whether
the Moros were happy or not.
 For approximately seven years, the department
would advance the program, until May 1920,
when it was formally abolished. Thereafter,
Moro affairs would then be placed under the
control of the Bureau of Non-Christian Tribes
under the Department of the Interior, where
administrative as well as legislative control of
Moro land was even firmly secured in Christian
Filipino hands.
C. Policy of Attraction
 To mitigate the resentments of the Moros, for
instance, the colonial government would come
up with programs and projects.
 Free education was institutionalized and public
schools were established almost everywhere in
the Moro districts.
 The colonial government also created the
Pensionado Program, which sent non-Christian
natives to Manila and America for higher
learning or educational tours.
 Hospital and field dispensaries were also
provided in such number that medical care
came within the reach of nearly all the
inhabitants.
 The Muslims were given greater participation in
local and provincial government. Later, some
were even appointed to the Ph legislature.
 How did American policy or practice contribute to
the present Mindanao problem?
 Four major contributions of United States policy
to the Mindanao problem:
a) The forcible incorporation of Mindanao and
Sulu into the Philippine colony;
b) Resettling of Christian natives to Mindanao;
c) The discriminatory land Laws, and
d) Attempt to annex Mindanao, Sulu and Palawan
into the US territory.
A. Forcible Incorporation of Mindanao and Sulu
 Maguindanao and Sulu were included in the
treaty of Paris. The two sultanates used to be
independent from Spanish Felipinas; yet
deliberately, the Americans still included them.
 Completed the subjugation of the Moros and
therefore succeeded in forcibly incorporating
them into the predominantly Christian
Philippines.
 United States stole three independences from
three sovereign states when she signed the
Treaty of Paris in 1898; i.e., she took away not
only the independence of Aguinaldo’s
Republika ng Pilipinas but also the
independence of the Maguindanao and Sulu
sultanates.
 When the United States decided to leave in
1946, she, however, gave independence for
Pilipinas, including Maguindanao and Sulu.
 Thus, the Muslims, Christians and Lumads
became citizens of a republic comprising at least
two nations.
B. Resettling Christian natives to Mindanao
 1912, Americans introduced the idea of
resettling landless but industrious farmers from
Luzon and Visayas to Mindanao.
 The planners or architects of the settlement
scheme also believed that this is one way the
Moros could be united with the Christian
Filipinos.
 This is “the policy of assimilation by colonies,
combining a minority of Moros with a majority
of Filipinos”.
 The American colonial government so
pg. 4
MSU-SULU
HISTORY003
encouraged the Christian settlers to the extent
of giving them free transportation, financial and
legal assistance, farm tools and other
implements.
 American lured “corn-loving” Cebuanos to settle
in Mindanao, by telling them that hybrid
American corn can be found in Mindanao, if
they wanted it, they must go to Mindanao.
 Moro Colonies or “Agricultural Colonies” – a
systematic program by the Americans
established by General John Pershing and Frank
Carpenter established in the Cotabato Valley
and Lanao.
 Americans who introduced the idea of bringing
the Christian settlers to Mindanao, who, in
fairness to the latter, would pour out their
energies to develop the lands the colonial
government granted them.
 But the American program of bringing over
Christian migrants to Mindanao did not only
generate further resentments among the
Muslims and Lumads but also it created a
permanent and ready venue for the eventually
frequent and bloody physical encounters.
Apparently, both are unaware they are victims
of unfortunate colonial decisions.
C. Discriminatory Land Laws
 The Moros did not only dislike the coming of
Christianized natives from Luzon and Visayas,
but resented as well the passing of several
discriminatory land laws. These laws include:
 ACT NO.496 OF 1902 otherwise known as the
“LAND REGISTRATION ACT” – this act required the
registration of lands occupied by private persons or
corporations. It also required that the application
for registration of title shall be in writing, signed and
sworn to by the applicant.
‒ Note that this law was implemented in 1902
while the first schools in Moro and Lumad areas
were established in later dates. In Cotabato, the
first school was established in 1903 inside
military camps for Moros who wanted to serve
the American Army. Lanao had literacy schools
for Moro soldiers only in 1904. Other areas of
Minsupala would follow at a much later date.
 ACT NO.718 OF 1903 – This law declared null and
void all land grants made by Moro Datus/sultans
and chiefs of non-Christian tribes when made
without government authority or consent.
 ACT NO.926 OF 1903 (PUBLIC LAND ACT) – This act
declared as public (i.e., government) lands, all
lands not registered under Act No. 496 of 1902.
Under this law, public lands were to be disposed of
in three ways: by homestead, purchase (by
individual or corporation), and lease.
 THE MINING LAW OF 1905 – This law declared all
public lands in the Philippines as free, open for
exploration, occupation and purchase by citizens of
the Philippines and the United States.
 THE CADASTRAL ACT OF 1907 – This law was
designed to facilitate the acquisition of new
landholdings. This law was deemed to have allowed
the educated natives (Indios and Non-Indios)
bureaucrats, and American land speculators, who
were more familiar with the bureaucratic process, to
legalize claims usurped through fraudulent surveys.
 Act 2874 of 1919 – This law allowed Christian
settlers to homestead 24 hectares while non-
Christians were only allowed 10 hectares.
Corporations were allowed 1,024 hectares.
As a consequence of these laws, many of the Moros
and Lumads would be marginalized and alienated.
The Land Registration Act of 1902 and Public Land
Act of 1903, in particular, were responsible for
turning many of the natives into squatters of their
own lands.
Aside from the fact that many of them were
ignorant of the process of land registering and
titling, the government did not exert enough effort
to assist the Moros and Lumads in acquiring titles to
the lands they were occupying.
D. Making Mindanao Part of the US Territory
 Although Mindanao was made part of the
Philippine Islands under the Treaty of Paris,
certain practices showed that Americans
wanted it for themselves. The administration of
the Moro Province unwittingly gave many
American officials and capitalists a reason to
pg. 5
MSU-SULU
HISTORY003
make it a permanent territory of the United
States.
 It began in 1906 and intensified through the
1920s, when American planters (through the
Zamboanga Chamber of Commerce) with the
backing of American officials petitioned
Washington to incorporate Mindanao into the
US territory.
 Col. Ralph Hoyt, acting governor of the Moro
Province, recommended that “Mindanao be
segregated from the rest of the Philippines and
declared as a territory of the US, not as a
colony but as coaling stations and naval base
with a civil-military government similar to the
present government of the Moro Province.”
 Several missions or visits to the Philippines by
high US officials was also conducted to support
this view on the ground that “Americans are in
a better position than Filipinos to govern the
Moros,” “Filipinos are unfit for self-
government,” and “Moros are united for the
continuation of American rule,” among other
reasons.
o Secretary Dickinson in 1910
o The Wood-Forbes Mission in 1921
o Thompson in 1926
 On June 21, 1926, New York Congressman
Robert Bacon filed a bill in Congress for the
“removal of the Moro Province from the
jurisdiction of the present Philippine
government and granting them a separate and
distinct form of administration under direct
authority of the United States.”
 After it lapsed without action, another one was
filed (HR 12772 and HR 15479, 69th US
Congress, 1926). Known as the Bacon Bill, its
aim was to permanently annex Mindanao
(excluding Misamis province), the Sulu
Archipelago, and Palawan into the US territory,
supposedly to lessen US dependence on
imported rubber.
 In the end, all these moves were defeated by
counter protests among Filipino nationalists,
and by broader US policy (e.g., the Jones Act of
1916) determined to grant independence to the
Philippines in the near future.
 Overall, the effect is that they reinforced the
division between Moros and Christian Filipinos
during that period. Frank Carpenter, Governor
of the Department of Mindanao and Sulu,
observed that “American officials encouraged”
such animosity.
 They also planted the seed of a peculiar
separatist movement in Mindanao waged more
strongly by Americans rather than by Moros.
Pelzer concurred later: "such a separation has
been suggested repeatedly by Americans
interested in plantation development who
Conversely, it sought to detach this region from
the Philippines as it posed an obstacle for its
independence.
THE COMMONWEALTH PERIOD
 What were the events that precipitated to the
creation of the Commonwealth government in the
Philippines?
 As a matter of justifying their acquisition of the
Philippines as a colony, the United States had to
announce to the world that she was taking the
Philippines for benevolent and noble purposes.
 United States made clear when President
McKinley said in the Benevolent Assimilation
Proclamation that the Philippines are not theirs
to exploit but to develop, civilize, educate and
train the Filipinos in the science of self-
government.
 as early as 1902, the United States had to pass a
Philippine Bill which promised independence to
Filipinos “as soon as a stable government is
established in the Philippines”.
 But more than 10 years had already passed;
yet, there seemed to be no serious move on the
part of the American government to really grant
Philippine Independence.
 Along with other factors, Filipino pressure
would eventually succeed in convincing the
United States to pass the Jones Law in 1916,
which expedited the process of Filipinization
and granted more autonomy to the Filipinos.
pg. 6
MSU-SULU
HISTORY003
 But in general, however, the Jones Law simply
reiterated what the Philippine Bill of 1902
promised, i.e., to grant Philippine independence
“as soon as a stable government is established
therein”
 Two successive independence missions were
sent to the United States:
1) Led by Sergio Osmeña and Manuel
Roxas in 1931;
2) Headed by Manuel L. Quezon in 1933.
 The latter mission would eventually result to
the Tydings-McDuffie Act which created the
Philippine Commonwealth.
 What was the purpose of creating the Philippine
Commonwealth?
 The purpose of creating the Philippine
Commonwealth was anchored on the self-
proclaimed American mandate of “educating
and training the Filipinos in the science of self-
government”.
 In other words, the commonwealth was
deemed to be a transition period where the
administrative skills of the Filipinos are honed
before they could be granted “absolute”
independence. It was supposed to last 10 years
(i.e. 1935-1945) but due to World War II,
independence was only granted in 1946.
 What were the varied reactions of the Moros
towards the issue of Philippine independence?
 Some favored independence with the Christian
Filipinos while others wanted separate
independence. Some suggested to stay under
American protection for a while others wanted
to be under the United States forever.
 The Moros who wanted independence with the
Christian Filipinos were mostly:
► “Leaders who had benefited from the
Philippine State system, having been
appointed to national or provincial offices,
or who had been closely associated with
Christian Filipinos in politics or business”.
► Moros who realized that resistance was
futile; and that they should “make the best
out of the situation they were powerless to
change.”
 Some really favored independence with the
Christian Filipinos as it was their sincere
conviction to be so.
 Datu Auraya Dianalan:
“We are not like carabaos that Americans
pull to one side and Christian Filipino to
another. We have proper convictions and
we do not (sic) the dismemberment of our
country and the separation of our territory
from that of our Christian brothers.”
 Datu Facundo Mandi:
“That in a clear and unequivocal way it
may be made known that Mohammedans,
like their brethren the Christian Filipinos
want the absolute, complete and
immediate independence of the Philippines
and that they protest against any intent to
divide and disintegrate them.”
 Datu Ibra, Lanao delegate:
“After all, the inhabitants of Mindanao and
Sulu and the inhabitants of Luzon and
Visayas are brothers in fact. We are of the
same race and there runs in our veins the
same blood. We inhabit a group of islands,
which Providence has given us. We must
live not only as friendly neighbors but as
brothers in fact...”
 Those who did not want the idea of becoming
independent with the Christian Filipinos. They
ranged from those who considered the latter as
their traditional enemies up to those who
feared Moro interests and concerns would not
be heard or addressed once they were merged
with the Christian majority.
 Datu Sacaluran:
“I am an old man now. I do not want
any more trouble. But if it should come
to that, we shall be given over to the
Filipinos, I would still fight.”
 Hadji Abdul Kamid Bogabong, in Dansalan
Declaration dated March 18, 1935:
pg. 7
MSU-SULU
HISTORY003
“…One more discriminatory act of our
Christian Filipino Associates is shown
in the recent constitution of the
Philippine Commonwealth. In that
constitution, no provision whatsoever
is made that would operate for the
welfare of the Moros… the (provisions
 What were Quezon’s policies towards Mindanao
of the) constitution are all for the
welfare of the Christian Filipinos and
nothing for the Moros. As a proof of
this, our delegate did not sign the
constitution… (Thus) should the
American people grant the Philippine
independence; the islands of
Mindanao and Sulu should not be
included…”
 Those who wanted to stay under American rule
forever.
 Hadji Abdullah and Datu Dimaampao
Dangcal:
“We, the undersigned Datus in favor of
late Amai Manabilang, who had been
the foremost Americanista party for
many years and until his death,
respectfully send this communication to
his Excellency, the President of the
United States of America, to request
that the American people must not give
us to any other race except the
American people.”
 Datu Dimaampao Dangcal of Dansalan’s
letter, which said:
“We would like to be under the
American rule forever. We do not want
independence… We have found out
that Americans as a people are kind,
honest and just…”
 By appealing not to give the Moros “to any
other people except the Americans” and by
clearly stating that they wanted “to be under
American rule forever”, Hadji Abdullah and
Datu Dimaampao must have thought that only
the Americans could provide the Moros an
impartial and disinterested leadership.
 Anyhow, the petition letters not favoring the
granting of Philippine independence would all
be ignored in the Philippines and the United
States. Hence, history would take a course in
such a way that the Moros and Lumads would
be incorporated into the Philippine body
politic whether they liked it or not.
and how did these affect the Moros and Lumads?
 When Manuel L. Quezon assumed the
Commonwealth presidency, he identified three
(3) major priorities:
1.) Development of Mindanao for the
sake of the National Economy,
2.) Strengthening security in Mindanao
as part of national security, and
3.) The advancement and integration of
the Moro population.
 The first two priorities caught much of Quezon’s
attention and energy so that very little was left
for the third and last priority.
 The first priority of the Quezon administration
meant that Mindanao was to be developed,
not necessarily for the sake of Mindanao and its
native inhabitants but for the sake of the
national government and economy. Indeed,
describing Mindanao as the “Land of Promise”
could not simply be appreciated by many of the
indigenous inhabitants (Moros and Lumads) of
the island.
 The second priority, perceived two major
threats to national security in Mindanao:
1) First, was the existence of many non-
Christian populations (Moros and
Lumads) in Mindanao and Sulu; and
2) Second, was the existence of a
growing colony of Japanese
agriculturists and entrepreneurs in
Davao.
− The first was considered a threat
because the non-Christian tribes
were perceived to be not loyal to the
Philippine government while the
second was considered bothersome
because Japanese expansionism in
Asia was common knowledge
already as early as the late 1920s.
− To address these threats therefore,
the Commonwealth government of
Quezon would encourage
pg. 8
MSU-SULU
HISTORY003
substantial numbers of Christian
natives from Luzon and Visayas to
migrate to Mindanao and Sulu.
Government encouragement this
time was so remarkable that
migration into the region from 1936
onwards would even surpass the rate
of migration recorded during the
American period.
 The third priority, the Commonwealth
government also did exert some efforts.
However, these efforts/moves seemed to do
more harm than help.
 For instance, Quezon seemed to view
integration as attainable only through
applying the same rules to Christians and
non-Christians, which somehow
transgressed the limits of cultural
sensitivities of many Moro and Lumad
groups. He was somehow insinuating that
what is “okay” to the Christian majority
will also be “okay” to the non-Christian
minority.
expressive of their traditional social
system”.
 He also abolishes the Moro Board, which
was established to settle some religious
disputes according to traditional laws.
 The justification of Quezon was that its abolition
would force Moros “to take their cases to the
regular courts of justice or bring extra-judicial
cases for amicable settlement to the local mayors
or other officials”. What Quezon failed to realize
was the fact that he had totally scrapped the
traditional system of governance that was
functioning well and most appropriate to the local
culture. He also failed to realize that by replacing
the traditional leaders with salaried officials, he
was actually corrupting the concept of leadership
among the Moros.
 There are certain features of the new system of
governance which radically altered the notion of
“governance and leadership” among the natives.

 Quezon never realized that he has collided

with cultural institutions of Lumads and
the Moros. For instance, if the state
recognizes only monogamous marriages
because the culture of the Christian
majority dictates, the Moros and Lumads
will certainly be alienated because it
makes their second and succeeding
marriages illegal. Second and succeeding
wives and the children of these women
were also made illegitimate by the uniform
application of law.

 Quezon and his government would then

proceed to abolish various laws, which
somehow gave the Moros and Lumads
distinct treatment during the American
colonial period.

 In January 1937, Quezon would abolish

the Bureau of Non-Christian Tribes, which
was the only government agency that
tried to meet the special needs of the
non-Christians administratively.

 He also “end official recognition of the civil

titles held by Moros and valued by them as

pg. 9